Cleveland Sports Forum

4 Indians players now appear on the Rule 5 preview of possible picks at BA

None in the "ready for the majors" category
In the stash for the future they've added Oscar G to Jose F and Luis Oviedo with reference to the guy I've been sorry we let get away

Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Indians

Gonzalez has much of the same profile as Anthony Santander, a pick of the Orioles from the Indians in the 2016 Rule 5 draft. Gonzalez is a corner outfielder with the arm for right field and the power that fits for the position. He was one of the better hitters in the Carolina League last year, although he did struggle in a late-season stint with Double-A Akron. He's not big league ready and his lack of selectivity will be exposed in the majors at this point, but the 21-year-old has the kind of tools, including hitting ability, that are rarely exposed in the Rule 5 draft.
UGH Sounds like a perfect pick for a noncontender; maybe the Orioles again? Tigers would be a good fit too

And in the category of Power Relievers:

Anthony Gose, LHP, Indians

Want to get creative? Gose has already been a Rule 5 pick once. He made the majors as a speedy outfielder then converted to pitching. The Astros picked him in the 2017 Rule 5 draft, but he had only 10.2 innings of pro experience as a pitcher at that point and was not nearly ready. This past year, he missed some time with shoulder soreness and a calf strain, but he held hitters to a .165 average while striking out 29 in 29 innings, mainly with Double-A Akron. WIth a 94-98 mph fastball and an inconsistent slider that shows depth and bite at its best, Gose has an intriguing arm for a lefty reliever. And if a team wants to be creative, he also was once a speedy center fielder who stole 70 bases in a minor league season. So he could also be a useful deep bench option as a pinch runner/defensive replacement. As an aside, two-time Rule 5 picks can opt for free agency if they don’t stick as a Rule 5 pick because that will be their second outright assignment. Daniel Stumpf decided to stick with the team who had drafted him, re-signing with Detroit after they dropped him from their 25-man roster. So the Tigers effectively got to try out Stumpf and also show him how he fit in their plans. They then managed to retain him without Rule 5 roster limitations. In cases of two-time Rule 5 picks, the spring training can be somewhat of an audition for team and player.

BA annual Top 10 for the Indians on Dec 11 [next Wednesday]. Interested how they assess Martinez, Tena, Planez, Noel, the newest Latin prospects. Although 10 are ranked the discussion usually goes through dozens of names. I'm curios about current assessment of JC Mejia and Carlos Vargas who leapt onto the list last year but were not breakouts this season. Is Hunter Gaddis the next strike throwing Bieber or Civale? Are last year's Latin newbies Gabriel Rodriguez and Junior Sanquintin still getting praise? Is Aaron Bracho the outstanding hitter he appears to be? Is McKenzie really still their no. 2 prospect; not on any other list anymore I don't think

BA review of Indians' 2019 International signings; quite a write up

Pro scouts have taken notice of the Latin American prospects building up at the lower levels of Cleveland's farm system. Outfielder George Valera and shortstop Brayan Rocchio both ranked among the top prospects this year in the short-season New York-Penn League, while infielders Aaron Bracho and Jose Tena ranked in the Rookie-level Arizona League top 20 prospects. Shortstops Gabriel Rodriguez and Angel Martinez both made plenty of noise as well this year in the Dominican Summer League. This year's Indians international signing class was again heavy on instinctive, gamer types who hit well in games as amateurs.

Cleveland's top international signing in 2019 was Jose Pastrano, a 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop who trained in the Dominican Republic with Banana and the younger brother of Athletics infielder Jose Pastrano, who spent the last two years in the Dominican Summer League. Pastrano stood out for his quickness, excellent athleticism and overall game awareness at a premium position. He's a plus runner who projects to stay at shortstop, where he has quick hands and feet, good body control and has shown flashes of above-average arm strength as well. Pastrano shows attributes to hit from both sides of the plate as well, though some clubs left wanting to see more performance from him as an amateur. He has a short, direct swing and good feel for the strike zone. He has good contact skills with a line-drive, all-fields approach and gap power. Pastrano isn't that big, but he does have the physical projection for more of those doubles to eventually climb over the fence, but his offensive profile will probably be tilted more toward his on-base ability over his power. He trained with Banana.

One of the top players in Panama this year was Luis Durango Jr., who signed for $500,000. Durango is the son of Luis Durango, a speedster who played in the Futures Game in 2009 and accumulated 74 plate appearances in the big leagues over three seasons for the Padres from 2009-11. Durango Jr. excelled in games playing in Panama. He was one of the top hitters in the country, earning a spot on Panama's U-15 World Cup team that won the silver medal on their home turf last year. He made the all-tournament team, batting .296/.472/.444 in 36 plate appearances. All that experience shows in Durango's baseball IQ and excellent instincts on both sides of the ball. With lean, athletic build (5-foot-10, 145 pounds), Durango is a high contact hitter from the left side with an advanced hitting approach for his age. He performed well as an amateur and continued to do so after signing in Tricky League. Durango doesn't project to be a big power threat, but his on-base skills and speed could potentially fit at the top of a lineup. He's a 70 runner, and it's conceivable Durango could get even faster once he gets stronger. His speed and instincts give him excellent range in center field, where he has a fringe-average arm that could tick up given his sound throwing mechanics. He trained with Jose Camarena.

The Indians signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Jose Devers for $450,000. Devers is a cousin of Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and a younger brother of 19-year-old Marlins shortstop Jose Devers, who reached high Class A Jupiter this year. While Rafael is a mashing third baseman, the Indians' Jose Devers is more like his older brother, a skinny shortstop with a high baseball IQ, no surprise given that he comes from a baseball family. At 5-foot-9, 145 pounds, Devers lacks strength, but he has good actions and skills on both sides of the ball to build off once more strength comes as he gets older. Despite being behind many of his peers in terms of physical development, Devers has a fundamentally sound swing from the right side and excellent contact skills, with a knack for putting the ball in play even against higher velocity arms, spraying line drives to all fields without much power. An average runner, Devers has a chance to stick at shortstop, where he has quick feet, a springy first step, smooth actions and an average arm that could grade up once he gets stronger.

The Indians signed a group of Venezuelan outfielders on July 2, including Simon Rodriguez. Rodriguez, 17, has a smaller, slightly build frame (5-foot-9, 140 pounds) with good athleticism and plus speed to stay in center field. Rodriguez has good bat-to-ball skills from a sound lefty swing, using the whole field with a line-drive approach and limited power right now due to his lack of strength. He trained with Carlos Guillen.

Another Venezuelan outfielder the Indians signed, 16-year-old Erick Caripa, has more impact potential in his bat. He's 6-foot-1, 160 pounds with good strength projection, and has a chance to develop into a physical outfielder with righthanded power. Caripa has good bat speed and already shows the ability to drive the ball over the fence in BP, with a chance to develop above-average raw power, though it might some with some swing-and-miss. Caripa is an average runner with an average arm that has a chance to get stronger, so he's going to start his career in center field, though he might end up in right field.

Angel Mendoza, a third notable Venezuelan outfielder the Indians added to their 2019 class, stood out for his offensive performance as an amateur. At a compact 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Mendoza isn't that physical, but he's a lefty who has shown advanced feel for hitting for his age with a sound swing and good bat control, leading to a lot contact in games, including against high velocity pitching. Mendoza doesn't have much power, but he produces hard line drives in games. He might have enough defensive ability to stay in center field, though a move to the corner is possible and would put more demands on his power developing. Mendoza trained with Jhon Colon.

Dominican shortstop Maick Collado, 16, signed with the Indians for $200,000 after training with Fausto Garcia. Collado (5-foot-11, 160 pounds) impressed the Indians with his ability to hit in games from both sides of the plate, making consistent, quality contact with feel for the strike zone and a chance to grow into average power. Collado's offensive tools are ahead of his defense, with a chance to play either third or second base.

Angel Contreras is a 16-year-old Colombian shortstop the Indians signed or $160,000. His father, Angel Contreras, is the scouting supervisor for the Rays in Colombia, and that baseball background shows in Contreras' all-around baseball acumen. He's a smaller, compact infielder (5-foot-8, 150 pounds) who has quick actions, secure hands and a good exchange, though his pure speed is below-average and his arm might lead him to second base. Contreras is an instinctive player in the field and at the plate, where he shows good bat-to-ball skills from both sides with a line-drive approach and doubles power.

Venezuelan outfielder Juan Rodriguez, a Venezuelan outfielder the Indians signed on July 2, has changed his profile over the past year. He's a lean, wiry player who showed a sweet swing early on, but lacked strength to impact the ball. Leading up to July 2, Rodriguez got stronger and started to do more damage on contact, showing more power with leverage in his swing to go with his feel for hitting. He has a chance to play center field, though he might end up in a corner.

Juan Benjamin, a Dominican shortstop who got $100,000, is another athletic switch-hitter who has shown good contact skills in games. He has a quick, compact swing with a good approach for a 16-year-old, with a knack for the barrel and handling himself well against high velocity. His defensive actions will need work to stay at shortstop, but his athleticism fits in the middle of the diamond.

Rule 5 draft preview 3.0 from BA. We'll likely lose some OF who can hit. I'd be startled if some team doesn't take Tom. He's ready for the majors, unknown how good he'll hit. Oscar isn't nearly reading but has a bat that's more projectable.

Getting Some Buzz

1. Dauris Valdez, RHP, Padres

2. Joe Barlow, RHP, Rangers

3. Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Indians

4. Ka'ai Tom, OF, Indians

When Tom was playing at Kentucky, there was speculation that he might fit better in pro ball as a second baseman. That never happened, but he did play all three outfield spots in 2019 and hit .290/.380/.532, reaching double digits in doubles (27), triples (10) and home runs (23). Tom doesn’t play center field well enough to be more than a very limited fill-in there, but he is very solid in the corners and has a very solid hitting approach. Tom has over 1,000 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. He’s as ready as he will be, so if a team wants to see if he can be a lefthanded hitting backup outfielder who can pinch hit, he has a pretty compelling case.

Oscar, Jose Fermin and Luis Oviedo all still listed as good bets for teams able to stash him on the roster for the future.

5. Brandon Bailey, RHP, Astros

BA rates 'em:

1 Jones
2 Freeman
3 Naylor
4 Valera
5 Rocchio
6 Espino
7 McKenzie
8 Hankins
9 Bracho
10 Rodriguez

The prospect grade for Jones is a 60 "occasional all star" comps are Jose Abreu and George Springer
all the rest grade at 55 "first division regular" or No. 3or 4 starter or elite reliever. Compas: Eddie Rosario, Kevin Gausman

By comparison, last year we had 3 60s [McK, Naylor and Valera] 6 55's and one 50 in the top 10. Strange to see Valera dropped.

Chat this afternoon. I'll post the entire writeups for all these guys and more later on.

George (Shaker Heights): The buzz on the Indians system is that it is teeming with international prospects at the lower levels; the top-10 list reflects that (Valera, Rocchio, Bracho, Rodriguez). While simple luck is sometimes involved in things like this--Rocchio was only a $125,000 signing, after all--to what do you attribute this recent success? Is the organization doing anything differently?

Teddy Cahill: So, we are 100 percent starting with a question from my hometown. A lot of work has gone into the international side for the Indians and they are very much seeing the payoff from that work now. They overhauled the international department a few years ago, changing some of the personnel and some of how they go about their process. They took a lot of ideas that were working on the draft side and figured out how to apply them to the international market. So that's a big part of it and Paul Gillespie, their international director, deserves a lot of credit. It's also notable that the way MLB allocates international bonus pools changed at about the same time and in such a way that made it a little easier for small market teams to compete. I think the Indians' own change is more important because spending money only matters if you're spending it in the right way, but the system has helped a bit as well.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): The 2019 draft picks did not debut with flying colors. The pair of shortstops, Valdes and Cairo, were offensive duds. I know Valdes is rated a superior defender and it's way too early to write these kids off, but what were your initial impressions?

Teddy Cahill: I wouldn't worry about how they played this summer at all. It's a big change moving into pro ball. Daniel Espino, obviously, hit the ground running at full speed, but most of these players haven't been attending a school that literally uses a baseball as its logo and provided a pseudo-professional environment in high school. Further complicating it for Valdes is that he was one of the youngest players in the class. Valdes' glove is really exciting right now, we'll see how he develops as a hitter. Cairo has a lot of things going for him but right now is tough to figure out what he is. But he can contribute in a lot of different ways.

Ray Man (Your Mom): Thanks so much for the Chat! Which of the younger guys in the system not listed have the best chance/talent to make the move to the top 10 next year?

Teddy Cahill: Carlos Vargas and Angel Martinez. I thought Vargas might blow up this year. I think he might in 2020. I'm a big fan. Martinez has a little bit of Brayan Rocchio to him and I could see him making some noise in the AZL in 2020. Jose Pastrano could as well if he gets his professional career off to a good start in the DSL.

John (NJ): Was Logan Allen left off the list because he's no longer a prospect? Or because he isn't good enough to make it?

Teddy Cahill: Logan Allen is No. 11 on the list. I like him and the Indians like him. He's going to pitch in Cleveland in 2020 and in likelihood graduate from prospect status then. If we slotted him in at No. 10 (or Nos. 8 or 9), it wouldn't look wrong to me at all. But we went for the upside of Hankins, Bracho and Gabby Rodriguez for the final few spots.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): We all recognize that the Indians' talent is deepest at the lower levels, but what are your ratings for players in the higher levels: among Daniel Johnson, Yu Chang and Bobby Bradley do any now project as quality major league regulars?

Teddy Cahill: They're all in the top 30 and when you get your Prospect Handbook (avaliable for preorder now!) you'll find Bradley ranked the highest of that trio. I think he has the best chance of the three to be a regular, but whereas in the past I'd been pretty confident about him as a regular, that confidence is slipping a bit now. Johnson, for me, looks more likely as a platoon player unless he improves a bit against lefthanders. There has long been talk about Chang possibly ending up as a utility infielder and I think that's becoming more likely now

Jared (Geneva OH): How fast do you think Espino could move up in the system and what are your thoughts on Fermin in the rule 5 draft?

Teddy Cahill: Espino put himself on an accelerated track last summer. He's the Indians' first prep player to advance past AZL in his draft year since Lindor did it. That's not to compare him to Lindor in any way, but when you consider some of the high-profile high school players the Indians have drafted in between them, it's impressive that Espino is the one to do it. So I've been a little bit thrown for a loop on Espino's path because it's going to be unlike anyone else currently in the system. I think he goes to Lake County to start next year and they may continue to be aggressive with him if he keeps performing.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Luis Oviedo has an erratic start and an injured finish in 2019. Assuming someone else doesn't opt for him in the Rule 5 draft, what are his Cleveland prospects going forward?

Teddy Cahill: Still a really high ceiling on Oviedo. I understand not protecting him because he hasn't pitched above low Class A and ended the season on the IL. It would be hard to carry him for a full year in the big leagues. So, assuming he's still with the Indians on Friday, they'll look to get him back on track in Lynchburg. It was a disappointing season in some respects, but he's still young, big and throws hard. Player development is difficult. I think he bounces back fine in 2020.

Rocchio Fan (Lindor's replacement?): With superstar Francisco Lindor likely off the Indians roster come 2022, is Brayan Rocchio the air [sic] apparent? Lindor was a top 10 pick coming out of HS but he also didn't show much power in the minors (23 HR in over 1600 ABs). Do you think Rocchio's frame can fill out like Lindor's can and have his power tick up to at least someone who can hit 12-15 HRs a year? Having already shown some in game power with how skinny he currently is makes me optimistic there might be some additional power gains to come.

Teddy Cahill: I don't think Rocchio is the direct heir apparent. To get to the big leagues in the next two years, he'd have to really speed through four full-season levels. I think he's probably the Indians next long-term shortstop, but I think you're going to see a couple years of Tyler Freeman or some veteran shortstop before Rocchio is ready. His superior defensive ability would either push Freeman to second base or, if they went with a veteran, they could just move on to Rocchio.

Carl (San Antonio): How close was Alexfri Planez to making the top 10? Are his tools too raw to be considered still? Is he of the Kevin Alcantara mold? Is he a high ceiling upside guy?

Teddy Cahill: So, several of you seem v v excited about Alexfri Planez. He was not really in consideration for the top 10. The tools are loud, no doubt, and he's a player to know. But you're also talking about an 18-year-old who has played six games in the States and then missed all summer due to a broken hamate bone. Check back on him next year. He could definitely pop, but let's pump the brakes a little bit on him this winter.

Nick (Ohio): Out of Carlos Vargas, Alexfri Planez and Angel Martinez, who has the highest ceiling and who is the safest bet?

Teddy Cahill: Vargas for ceiling, Martinez for floor. Planez more on the ceiling end than the floor.

[not sure if I understand the terms here; Angel was also noted as being just outside the top 10 so is the floor good or bad?]