Cleveland Sports Forum

JC (Avon, OH): Given that the market just changed for SP with Strasburg and Cole, if the Indians trade Kluber what do they get back? One top ten prospect? Two?

Teddy Cahill: You're selling low at this point. So I really don't know. Kluber was really limited last year and that's going to impact his value. I wouldn't be looking to trade him right now.

We don't talk a lot about:

3. Bo Naylor | C

Born: Feb 21, 2000
Bats: L Throws: R
Ht.: 6'0" Wt.: 195
Drafted: HS--Mississauga, Ont., 2018 (1st round).

BA Grade: 55. Risk: Very High
Tool Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 50. Run: 50. Fielding: 55. Arm: 60.

Track Record: Naylor, the younger brother of Padres first baseman Josh Naylor, compiled a long track record of success as an amateur, especially facing premium competition with the Canadian Junior National Team. That helped ease his transition into his first year of pro ball, when he found success as a 19-year-old in the Midwest League.
Scouting Report: Naylor, like his older brother, has standout offensive tools, but he’s a different kind of hitter. He’s more hit over power, though he has solid pop as well. He has an advanced hit tool thanks to his smooth swing, pitch recognition and approach. His power showed up more in 2019 than it had previously, and he makes consistent hard contact and has the ability to drive the ball. Naylor is an above-average runner and his athleticism plays well behind the plate. He earns high grades for pitch-framing, and his strong arm helped him throw out 37 percent of basestealers, but teams were still very willing to test him, attempting 128 stolen bases in 85 games. Still, Naylor has proven himself enough defensively to largely quell any talk of him moving to third base, where he played a lot as an amateur.
The Future: Naylor will continue to work on refining his defensive skills in 2020 at high Class A Lynchburg, when he will be just 20 years old.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Haven't seen any questions on two other 2019 top prospects who did not excel: Sam Hentges and Juan Carlos Mejia. Your thoughts?

Teddy Cahill: Mejia got hurt, so that one's simple. Hentges hit a real speed bump in Double-A. There's still a lot to like and he's a year removed from what was really a good year in Lynchburg. He'll still be 23 for most of the 2020 season. But he's going to have to find a way to improve his control to really make the most of the raw tools.

This kid can really hit:

2. Tyler Freeman | SS
Born: May 21, 1999 [20 and ready for AA already]
Bats: R Throws: R
Ht.: 6'0" Wt.: 170
Drafted: HS--Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 2017 (2nd round supp).

BA Grade: 55. Risk: High
Tool Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 40. Run: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.

Track Record: Freeman turned in a stellar first full pro season in 2018 that saw him lead the New York-Penn League in a host of offensive categories, including batting (.352) and slugging (.511), as a 19-year-old. He followed that with an impressive 2019, earning a promotion to high Class A Lynchburg in his first taste of full-season ball. Despite being one of the youngest players in the Carolina League, he more than held his own after his promotion to Lynchburg and is now a career .319/.379/.441 hitter.
Scouting Report: Freeman stands out most for his hittability and excellent feel for the barrel. He has a very aggressive approach at the plate and rarely walks, but when he swings, he makes contact. Thanks to his ability to consistently square balls up, he has doubles pop now and may be able to add more power as he physically matures. Freeman was drafted as a shortstop and the Indians are developing him at that position. He’s shown improvement with his hands, infield actions and instincts. He’s still an average runner with average arm strength, however, which limits his range and might ultimately push him to second base, especially in a system with as many high-end defensive shortstops. Regardless of where he ends up defensively, his bat will stand out.
The Future: Freeman is on the leading edge of the Indians’ group of young middle infielders, meaning he can move quickly through the system. That probably means he’s ready for Double-A Akron in 2020.

So is Bo that good? Yes says Teddy.

William (Ithaca): Bo Naylor? #3 in the Indians system? Wow, that was a shocker. Is his bat really that good?

Teddy Cahill: Naylor's bat is really good but the general public needs to quit sleeping on Naylor as a catcher. He's a really, really good receiver - especially framer. That combination is incredibly rare and he played really well in the Midwest League as a 19-year-old. If, in a year or two, he was the Indians' No. 1 prospect and a top 20 prospect overall, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

1. Nolan Jones | 3B

Born: May 7, 1998 [he's 21 and ready for AAA]
Bats: L Throws: R
Ht.: 6'2" Wt.: 185

Drafted: HS--Bensalem, Pa., 2016 (2nd round).

BA Grade: 60. Risk: High
Tool Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 60. Run: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 60.

Track Record: Jones was one of the players the Indians targeted with their first-round pick in 2016. The team instead selected Will Benson 14th overall and didn’t expect to see Jones still on the board when they next picked at No. 55. But he remained available and the Tribe didn’t pass on the Pennsylvania prep product a second time, happy to be able to select one of the best high school hitters in the draft class. He’s lived up to that reputation in pro ball, showing off his offensive ability at every stop in the minor leagues. In 2017, Jones led the New York-Penn League in OPS (.912) as a 19-year old and has followed that up in full-season ball. He had a busy 2019, beginning the year with high Class A Lynchburg, where he played well enough in 79 games to be selected to the Carolina League all-star team. He also was selected for the Futures Game and the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game, and in July was promoted to Double-A Akron. His season came to an end in October when he re-aggravated an injury to his right thumb and had surgery to repair a ligament. He is expected to be back to full strength to start 2020.

Scouting Report: Jones has an easy lefthanded swing and uses the whole field to hit. He is a patient hitter and has led all Indians’ minor leaguers in walks in back-to-back seasons (89 in 2018, 96 in 2019), though his patience also means that he often works in deep counts and will always strike out fairly often as a result. He has plus raw power and has started to turn that into in-game production. Jones fits the third-base profile but throughout his career has dealt with questions about his ability to stay at the position. He has plus arm strength and has worked hard to improve his defense and infield actions, especially when ranging to the right. He’s improved his footwork and agility, giving him a strong chance to stay at the hot corner. While the Indians generally work to add versatility to all their position players, Jones has played exclusively third base since he was in Rookie ball. Still, his athleticism and speed should play in the outfield if required.

The Future: After his impressive 2019 and stint in the AFL, Jones is nearing the big leagues and will likely open 2020 with Triple-A Columbus. He’s a potential impact bat who also stands out for his work ethic. His impending big league debut and Jose Ramirez’s versatility gives the Indians options over the next couple of years, but even if Ramirez stays in the hot corner, Jones’ offensive ability is such that the team will find a way to get them both into the lineup.

John (Medina): Surprised Ka’ ai Tom was left exposed? Was his breakout this past year for real? Expect him to get drafted tomorrow? How about Cam Hill?

Teddy Cahill: Not surprised. The Indians faced a serious 40-man crush this offseason. I mean, even jamming three players on the roster wasn't simple. I don't know what Ka'ai Tom is at this point, but he's probably a bench bat at the end of the day. If some noncontending team wants to take a chance on that and give him a bunch of ABs to see what that looks like, more power to them. I'll leave the Mock Rule 5 business to JJ Cooper and direct you to all of his coverage to get ready for tomorrow's festivities.

For the Eli Morgan fans:

(Ohio): Any consideration for Eli Morgan?

Teddy Cahill: For the top 10? No. Not in this system. He just keeps doing his thing though. It was a nice year in Akron. Looking forward to seeing how he does in Columbus in 2020.

Rem (In need of Pitching): Cleveland has made built a rotation out of pitchers that didn't seem to be elite in the minors and never showed up on top 100 list, guys like Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, and Zach Plesac come to mind... who is the next guy who could move up and become part of Cleveland's rotation that we are not talking about?

Teddy Cahill: I earlier mentioned Cody Morris in this way and I think he's my official pick (assuming that Logan Allen and Scott Moss are too famous for this, but they generally rank in a range similar to where Civale was and Bieber, of course, was a top-five prospect). I'd keep an eye on Kirk McCarty and Adam Scott as well. Will Gaddis has that potential, but as a 2019 draft he's not going to get to Cleveland ahead of those other guys.

[errata: that's Hunter Gaddis; Will is with the Rockies]

Elliot (Youngstown): Teddy, who would you see as top breakout candidates for 2020? The last couple years you choose power arms: Luis Ovieo and Carlos Vargas... another young pitcher this year?

Teddy Cahill: This year I'm actually looking at hitters. I mentioned Angel Martinez already and if you're looking for a deeper sleeper, I'd watch Joe Naranjo. Think he could be in for a really strong first full pro season.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): How many of these guys make the new top 100? I would expect at least Jones, Freeman, Valera and Rocchio.

Teddy Cahill: Let's close on everyone's favorite question. As a caveat, I have little to do with our top 100 list. But the top five should all be on the Top 100. That's Nolan Jones, Tyler Freeman, Bo Naylor, George Valera and Brayan Rocchio. You could throw in that run of righties - Espino, McKenzie and Hankins - and even Bracho. My guess is the cut line for the Indians is at five.

on a list of formerly big deal prospects who are unlikely to be picked today:

Brady Aiken, LHP, Indians
After failing to sign with the Astros as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, the Indians picked Aiken with the 17th pick in the 2015 draft, hoping to get a potential top five pick who had slipped because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. It has not worked out. Aiken's fastball never returned after the surgery, which meant he had to nibble at the edges without an above-average pitch. He walked six batters in .2 innings in one start this year at low Class A Lake County before being shut down. He went to Driveline Baseball to try to rediscover some of the 5-7 mph he has lost.

for the none of you intrigued by the Rule 5 draft here are the dramatic results:

Ka'ai Tom was not drafted. OF
Jose Fermin was not drafted 2B/SS
Anthony Gose was not drafted Reliever
Oscar Gonzalez was not drafted OF
Brady Aiken was not drafted semi-retired No. 1 draftee

Some action in the minor league round, we lost:
Christopher Cespedes an OF who spent 5 years in rookie ball and in his last one finally began to hit well
Wilbis Santiago 2B who had his best season in 2019hit 315 at age 23 in Lynchburg, no power, no speed, doesn't walk
Jose Colina C 5 years in Rookie level; we picked him up from White Sox midsummer'

In the minor league round we gained:
LHP Daniel Young 25 year old stunk in his AAA debut last summer but pitched well in AA bullpen with few strikeouts
RHP Jhon Peluffo Triston McKenzie body-double 6-3 140 22 year old struck out over 1/IP walked a bit below 1/2 IP in High A and AA in 2019.

The minor league picks do not have to stay around all year at any level; you're stuck with them. These guys have historically approximately zero chance of becoming even marginal major leaguers.

for the none of you intrigued by the Rule 5 draft here are the dramatic results:

Ka'ai Tom was not drafted. OF
Jose Fermin was not drafted 2B/SS
Anthony Gose was not drafted Reliever
Oscar Gonzalez was not drafted OF
Brady Aiken was not drafted semi-retired No. 1 draftee

Whew!!!!!

Was just reading some comments about our young pitcher, Luis Oviedo. He was dealing with a nagging back injury last year that really hampered him. He's feeling great now and working hard. Don't be surprised to see him take a big step next year.

Also just watched a video of Juan Mota working this winter, and throwing a 105 MPH fastball. No kidding. We'll see if he can ever get it together.