Cleveland Sports Forum

Hard to imagine there's much change since no one's played, but anyway here it is

The strength of the Indians’ system is in its lower levels, where the likes of 2B Aaron Bracho, RHP Daniel Espino, RHP Ethan Hankins, C Bo Naylor, SS Brayan Rocchio and OF George Valera make for a formidable core. It will still be some time before that wave reaches Cleveland, but it could soon give the organization a top-five farm system. Coming ahead of them are top prospects 3B Nolan Jones and SS Tyler Freeman, as well as a bevy of promising pitchers who are even more intriguing after the organization graduated Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac in quick succession. Overall, it’s a solid system, though its biggest impact likely won’t be felt for a few more years.

1. Nolan Jones, 3B

Jones has an easy lefthanded swing, a patient approach and plus raw power. His time in the big leagues is fast approaching and he’s in the team’s 60-man pool, though his ETA is probably still a year away.

2. Tyler Freeman, SS

Freeman stands out most for his hittability and excellent feel for the barrel. Those attributes have helped him move quickly in the minor leagues, and the 21-year-old is a part of the team’s 60-man pool.

3. Bo Naylor, C

Naylor has standout offensive tools and his defense has been a pleasant surprise. The precocious 20-year-old is a part of the team’s 60-man pool, though he has yet to advance past low Class A.

4. George Valera, OF

Valera’s advanced offensive skill set has allowed the Indians to move him aggressively in the minor leagues and the 19-year-old was included in their 60-man pool despite limited experience in full-season ball. He’s still got a way to go but fits the corner-outfield profile well.

5. Brayan Rocchio, SS

Travel restrictions from Venezuela have prevented Rocchio from returning to Cleveland to join the Indians’ 60-man pool. It’s the first time anything has been able to hold back the 19-year-old in pro ball, as his advanced approach has helped him move quickly in the minor leagues and earned him the nickname “The Professor.”

6. Daniel Espino, RHP

Espino was one of the best prep pitchers in the 2019 draft class and after signing he quickly showed why in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Now, the 19-year-old is a part of the Indians’ 60-man pool in his first full professional season.

7. Triston McKenzie, RHP

After a lost season in 2019 due to an upper back injury he couldn’t shake, McKenzie is back in action in 2020 and trying to get back on the track that had previously made him the Indians’ No. 1 prospect. He’s a part of the team’s 60-man pool and a big league debut in 2020 isn’t out of the question.

8. Ethan Hankins, RHP

Hankins has considerable upside thanks to his powerful arsenal and 6-foot-6 frame. He’s a part of the team’s 60-man pool, but the 20-year-old is still a long way from Cleveland after just reaching low Class A at the end of the 2019 season.

9. Aaron Bracho, 2B

A switch-hitter, Bracho has a smooth, compact swing and more power than his 5-foot-11 frame suggests. The 19-year-old is a part of the Indians’ 60-man pool, but like fellow teenagers Valera and Espino, he still needs plenty of development before he reaches the big leagues.

10. Gabriel Rodriguez, SS

Rodriguez, a 2018 international signee, made an impressive professional debut in 2019. At 18 years old, he didn’t make the Indians’ 60-man pool, but already stands out for his consistency and all-around tools.

OF THE 10, only ROCCHIO AND G.ROD ARE NOT SUMMERING IN EASTLAKE

11. Carson Tucker, SS this year's number one pick
12. Logan Allen, LHP in Eastlake
13. Bobby Bradley, 1B in Eastlake
14. Scott Moss, LHP in Eastlake
15. Tanner Burns, RHP this year's end of the first round pick
16. Carlos Vargas, RHP
17. Logan T. Allen, LHP this year's pick somewhere in the next four rounds
18. James Karinchak, RHP
19. Emmanuel Clase, RHP on break
20. Sam Hentges, LHP in Eastlake
21. Luis Oviedo, RHP
22. Yordys Valdes, SS last year's first round pick, great glove, questionable bat
23. Angel Martinez, SS
24. Ernie Clement, SS in Eastlake
25. Yu Chang, 3B/SS
26. Daniel Johnson, OF
27. Lenny Torres, RHP
28. Will Benson, OF first year several years ago, a year off is not help his development, or anyone else's
29. Jose Pastrano, SS
30. Jose Tena, SS/2B

SYSTEM STRENGTHS

The system is strongest in the lower levels—the top 10 in the 2020 Prospect Handbook (which remains unchanged in this update) was one of the youngest ever. Shortstop is a big area of strength for the system as well. Ten of the top 30 play shortstop, and even more shortstops are in the next group of players just off the list. There’s also a fair amount of depth on the mound, an area the organization has proven adept at developing.

SYSTEM WEAKNESSES

The outfield is one of the weaker position groups in the system. George Valera is a potential star and Daniel Johnson may help this season, but it gets a bit sparse beyond that duo and 2016 first-rounder Will Benson.

PLAYER POOL TIDBITS

Eleven of the Indians’ top 15 prospects are in the 60-man pool. The four missing are Brayan Rocchio (5), Gabriel Rodriguez (10), Carson Tucker (11) and Tanner Burns (15). Tucker was the team’s first-round pick, but for the 18-year-old not to be included is hardly surprising, given how cautiously the team is with its prep first-rounders. While Rodriguez isn’t a newly drafted player, like Tucker he is just 18 and his absence is to be expected. Burns, meanwhile, didn’t sign until mid-July and Rocchio is dealing with travel restrictions from his native Venezuela. Otherwise, despite having one of the youngest Top 10s in Prospect Handbook history, the Indians brought the whole group to summer camp.

HURTING

RHP Lenny Torres missed last season due to Tommy John surgery but is healthy now and working out in Arizona.

MLB.com new Tribe prospect rankings (Arias #5):

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/indians/

If you look at the entire top 30 list, then the new 3 slot in quite nicely and fill it out well!

so with this year's draft pick and this year's blockbuster deal we now have 5 shortstops among the top 12 prospects. That's a pretty unbalanced farm system. You can convert a SS to 3b or 2b but we also have one of those among our top guys, too. Unless I see the Indians or Spiders or whoever they are next year starting to turn some of these guys into outfielders, I still don't understand their talent acquisition policy, unless it's to develop a surplus of SS and deal them for equivalently adept and major league ready outfielders.

From another site - best prospect sites:

ProspectsLive.com ( https://www.prospectslive.com/lists/cle ... 020-top-30 ) Simple evaluations and comments. Generally unbiased.

20<->80 Baseball ( https://2080baseball.com/2019/03/2019-o ... d-indians/ ) Solid reviews and evaluations presented numerically.. you decide if it's a good or bad thing

FanGraphs: The Board ( https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects...a ... 1&team=cle ) Basic ABC's of baseball.. this site promotes the cybermetrics of baseball

Prospects1500 ( http://www.prospects1500.com/cleveland-indians/ ) Love the stories..

Thanks; i'll check those out.

Tyler Freeman, SS, Cleveland Indians (Eric's Ranking: 117)
Tyler Freeman is an interesting player for prospectors to try and rank. Depending on the list, you can find Freeman ranked inside the top 50 or outside the top 100. While he has an above-average hit tool and speed, Freeman's power is slim to none. Last season, in 547 plate appearances between two single-A levels, Freeman hit .306 with three home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Tyler Freeman Rolling BB% For OBP Leagues Freeman owns an impressive strikeout rate that in under nine percent for his career. On the flip side, his walk rate comes in as one of the worst in MILB right around four percent. Freeman did show stretches last season where he was walking over ten percent of the time, but his valleys were also barely above two percent. If Freeman can grow into more power, he can be a solid Fantasy contributor, given his hit tool and speed. Unfortunately, in OBP leagues, his low walk rate hurts his value.

I've been surprised at how he has rated on Top 100 and team top 10 lists considering the poor power [athough he hits plenty of doubles, smashed a Mah Valley team record] and even more so the low walk total. He's opposite in that way of Nolan Jones who takes so many pitches he goes deep into counts and winds up with plenty of Ks as well as BBs.
I've never been much on second baseman who don't have some excellent offensive numbers and that's Freeman probably winds up being. If he can play a solid SS he can be good. for 2B, I'm all in on Aaron Bracho. For SS we now have Arias along with Rocchio and the last two year's top draft picks [2019 with no hit tool; Tucker this year] and a bunch more recent Latin signings [G.Rod, Jose Tena, Angel Martinez, and more]

Freeman is most likely primed for a super utility role in the future.

Think David Fletcher, Tommy LaStella.

In our own division, think young Danny Mendick on the White Sox. (Ok, he's a local kid so had to get in a plug for him - but it is accurate)

Indians clear a couple spots on their Alternate Site roster:

Cleveland Indians released C Steven Baron. Cleveland Indians released RHP David Hernandez.
The remaining old guys in Eastlake are C Cameron Rupp; OF Domingo Santana; LHP Anthony Gose; RHP Dominic Leone; RHP Hunter Wood

Not sure when the Alternate Sites are shut down. Then what happens to these 18 non-roster guys?

I look forward to increased instructional league stuff this offseason!

BA had a story on Instructional League yesterday I will go back to and copy

Here's one:

No 40-man players in instructional camps, union says


By Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich 7h ago 15

As teams begin to organize instructional training camps that will take place after the season, the Players Association has informed Major League Baseball that it will not grant permission for clubs to include 40-man players except under certain circumstances.

A memo the union sent to player agents Tuesday night states: “Work schedules/calendars are core terms and conditions of employment. Allowing these camps to proceed for 40-man players would represent an extension of the 2020 work calendar and a fundamental change to collectively bargained rights.”

The union said the only exceptions it will consider are for 40-man players who want to participate in such a camp for medical reasons — a current injury under rehabilitation, for example, or a COVID-19-related medical history.

Regardless of circumstance, a player cannot decide on his own to attend a camp, just as he could not decide to do anything else contrary to the sport’s collective-bargaining agreement. The union must approve his request, and such approval will not be automatic, the memo said. The union will assess each request on an individual basis, then decide whether to grant permission after consulting directly with the player.

The commissioner’s office does not dispute that the union must consent to any 40-man player’s participation, according to the memo. A source with knowledge of the league’s position confirmed that teams were informed they needed such consent. Some 40-man players already have been approved, the source added.

The union said it will honor a club’s request for consent only if the club commits to provide living allowances and benefits that disabled players are entitled to receive under Article VII(F) of the CBA.

The union began its memo by saying it has learned from players and agents that multiple clubs were organizing the instructional training camps either in their home city or at another location, such as their spring-training facility.

“For some teams, it appears that only non-40 man roster players are being invited. For several other teams, however, 40-man roster players are being invited as well,” the memo said. “And while these camps are being advertised by most clubs as ‘voluntary,’ we have heard from several sources that players are being pressured to attend, and also that several players fear adverse consequences from club decision-makers if they choose to instead return home.”

The purpose of the memo, the union said, was to inform agents of its positions, which were also communicated to the player representatives in all 30 clubhouses and to the commissioner’s office.

The memo concludes, “Thank you in advance for your assistance in ensuring that clubs are not permitted to circumvent the Basic Agreement.”

For the Indians that hurts only Sam Hentges, Juan Carlos Mejia. They were in the Alternate Site the past two months, so they got development work done. This doesn't restrict Nolan Jones, or Tyler Freeman or George Valera or any of the non-40 man roster Alternate Site participants.

I need to post what I saw about the Arizona League when I find time.