Cleveland Sports Forum

if you can open this page, below the top 10 is a list of all the youngest based on opening day assignments;

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... n-in-2021/

including many of our from Angel Martinez and Gabriel Rodriguez in Lynchburg to Gabriel Arias in AAA.
Rocchio like Valera didn't just succeed but was promoted and is doing no worse as a 20 year old in AA. Surprised he didn't make the highlighted list

annual managers' votes for Best Tools by league. Our guys come out on top as follows:

Best Breaking Pitch High A East ESPINO
Best Reliever AAA East: FRANCISCO PEREZ
Best Defensive IB High A East: JOE NARANJO
best Defensive SS High A East: Jose Tena
Best Infield Arm High A East: JOSE TENA
Best Infield Arm AAA East: GABRIEL ARIAS
Best OF Arm AAA East: WILL BENSON
also Notable: best defensive catcher Low A East: Yainer Diaz who hits 300+ and who we traded with Maton for Straw

final inseason updated top 100 prospect list from BA

42 Tyler Freeman
53 Brayan Rocchio
75 No Nit Jones
79 George Valera, why that low?
90 Daniel Espino

the milb.com top 10 doesn't correspond.
They go
1 Freeman
2 Valera
3 Jones
4 Arias
5 Espino
6 Naylor
7 Rocchio
8 A Martnez
9 Gavin Williams
10 Logan Jr.

No Steven Kwan on the top 30. No Oscar Gonzalez on the Top 30.

Looking for a catcher who can hit and defend?

No. 9 on the Hot Prospect List

9. Yainer Diaz, C, Astros
Team: High-A Asheville (East)
Age: 22

Why He's Here: .480/.536/1.160 (12-for-25), 10 R, 2 2B, 5 HR, 13 RBIs, 3 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: The Indians signed Diaz at the end of 2016, though he didn't play a game in a full-season league until this year. They traded him to the Astros at the deadline in July along with righthander Phil Maton in exchange for outfielder Myles Straw, and Diaz has been on a power binge since the Astros promoted him to High-A in August, batting .384/.432/.836 with 10 home runs in 81 plate appearances. That's nearly double the six homers he hit in his previous 307 trips to the plate this year. (BB)

yesterday's BA chat was particularly informative. The host took way more questions than usual and offered lengthy explanations for assessment of prospects. Among his major points: numbers don't mean much; first hand scouting is much more revealing.
And the importance of being to play a position: a good bat means little if a kid cannot play major league defense
And the extra value of defenders up the middle
And the gambles most took this year with highly aggressive promotions which sometimes have set up inevitable offensive failures.

His answers included the following about Cleveland prospects:

NAYLOR

Q: What are scouts saying about Bo Taylor this year. I've had the impression that many have been high on him in the past, but his (offensive) stats have always been rather meh for me. What say you?


Kyle Glaser: Assuming you mean Bo Naylor, scouts see the poise and talent and believe he’ll be a good offensive player eventually, but it’s clear he just wasn’t ready to be at Double-A this year. He’s got plenty of bat speed and he can turn a fastball around, but his rhythm, timing, and zone awareness all need work and his swing decisions are inconsistent. He needs to repeat Double-A next year. He frankly just wasn’t ready for the quality of pitching he was seeing this year.

NOEL

Q: 1B prospects can be tough to get a handle on. Please put the following in order of expected Major League success: Dustin Harris, Jhonkensy Noel, Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino. [you'll have to look those other guys; doubt their stats are better than Noel's but that's not all that mattters]


Kyle Glaser: Pratto is the clear No. 1 of that group. Harris is probably No. 2 with Noel No. 3. Pasquantino is a bit of a wild card, but I wouldn't count him out.

ROCCHIO

q: Thoughts on Brayan Rocchio? He made quite the leap in BA's updated Top 100 rankings and is now listed as the secon-highest prospect on the list for the Indians/Guardians.


Kyle Glaser: Rocchio an elite defender at shortstop. As in elite elite, potential 80-grade defender. He's a smaller guy who swings big, but he's got some natural hitting instincts and makes good swing decisions. He might be a guy who plays such ridiculous defense early in his career that he'll be an everyday player, and over time he'll add strength and eventually start hitting as he gets further into his career, as we've seen many other smaller, elite defensive shortstops do. [apparently the very impressive offensive performance this year doesn't count for much; but it certainly in combination with such an outstanding defensive rating suggests we may have another Lindor here.

Thanks civ!

First time I'd heard absolute raving about Rocchio's defense. Great to hear.

Sure is!

Yesterday

CLE AA #5 Bo Naylor, C 4 0 2 0 0.192
CLE AAA #6 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 0 1 0 0.271
CLE AA #7 Brayan Rocchio, SS 5 1 1 1 0.274 CS (10), E (14),
CLE LoA #9 Angel Martinez, SS 5 1 1 0 0.250
CLE LoA #14 Gl Rodriguez, SS 5 1 1 2 0.237 HR (3),
CLE MAJ #15 Owen Miller, SS 3 0 1 0 0.246
CLE AAA #16 Richard Palacios, 2B 1 1 0 0 0.292 2 BB (47), utility candidate for 2022
CLE HiA #20 Jose Tena, IF 4 0 0 0 0.278
CLE HiA #21 Aaron Bracho, 2B 3 0 0 0 0.179 BB (31),
CLE R #22 Isaiah Greene, OF 3 1 0 0 0.273 BB (29),
CLE AA #23 Bryan Lavastida, C 5 0 1 0 0.290 not qyite Yainer Diaz
CLE HiA #25 Jhonkensy Noel, 1B 4 0 0 1 0.355
CLE AAA #29 Oscar Gonzalez, OF 4 1 1 0 0.305

CLE AA #10 Logan Allen, LHP 5.0 4 5 5 1 8 2.40 3 home runs
CLE MAJ #30 Sam Hentges, LHP 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 6.92 no grand slam!

Prospects that failed to impress during the 2021 season
by Chad Porto9 hours ago Follow @ChadNerdCorp



The Indians had 2021 to forget. While there were no major scandals with the organization that plagued them in 2020, the Tribe suffered from a lack of viable and healthy talent all year long. While the team had the talent to qualify for the playoffs, the best of them kept getting hurt all year long it seemed.

The major league squad wasn’t the only one who saw disappointments, as the Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers were also a team that couldn’t seem to get it together all year long. That said, the RubberDucks (Double-A) and Captains (Single-A) both had good years as an organization

Each of the four minor league teams has players on it the Indians have high hopes for but four of them had absolutely awful years. That’s who we’re looking at today.

INF Aaron Bracho (A)
Ranked No. 9 in Prospect1500’s list of the Indians’ top minor league players.


Aaron Bracho made his debut in 2019 hitting .281 across the Arizona rookie league and lower-A ball. his performance and skillset had him considered to be a top prospect in the Indians organization. Able to play anywhere on the infield, the multi-faceted fielder was shown to have an incredible arrange of talents.

His rookie year splits were .281/.402/.570 with an OPS of .973. Pretty incredible. He hit eight home runs, 11 doubles, and two triples in just 38 games. He put up 33 RBI in the same span and walked (28) almost as much as he struck out (29).

Bracho looked to be the real deal. The only problem was, that in his first season with the Lake County Captains, he completely regressed. No, his splits were .176/272/303, with an OPS of just .574. In nearly double the games, he had less production than as a rookie. Across 69 games so far, he’s hit just seven home runs, with just 27 RBI, and has completely lost his plate vision. He had just 32 base-on-balls so far, with a staggering 87 strikeouts.

With regards to his standings in the minors, he’s going to fall pretty hard.


C Bo Naylor (AA)
Ranked No. 8 in Prospect1500’s list of the Indians’ top minor league players.

Now in his third (technically fourth) year in the minors, Bo Naylor, the 21-year-old catching prospect was expected to take a major step this year and at least crack Triple-A. In 2018, Naylor had a great rookie year, with splits of .274/.381/.402, with a .783 OPS. Solid stats for a rookie

His numbers took a slight step back in year two, no longer in rookie ball, posting splits of .243/.313/.421 but seeing his stats take a nice jump. He had 18 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 43 walks. The big problem with Naylor in his sophomore year was his leap in strikeouts. Naylor struck out 24% of his at-bats as a rookie but as a sophomore that stat rose to 26%.

This leads us to his third year with the Akron RubberDucks. He’s bottomed out the whole year. He had the worst offensive splits of his career so far as a pro, .194/.287/344 and an OPS of just .631. The biggest problem is his strikeouts have increased yet again. While only one strikeout more in 2021 (105) than 2019 (104) it’s against 105 fewer at-bats. Meaning that Naylor strikes out 36% of his at-bats.

With Naylor another Top 10 prospect that’s been struggling, it’s hard to imagine he’s anywhere close to the Majors. That would be bad enough but with the decline and injury issues facing Roberto Perez, fans were hoping Naylor would be closer to joining the club. After this season, however, he seems as far from ever of being Major League-ready.

OF Will Benson (AA/AAA)
Ranked No. 26 in Prospect1500’s list of the Indians’ top minor league players.

Will Benson has been a top guy in the organization’s minor league systems for some time. Never being too high on the list but always being high enough to warrant consideration by the scouts.

The problem with Will Benson is that historically he’s never shown much. He’s got power, and that’s the reason people pay attention to him. A player like Jose Ramirez will have close to 600 at-bats in a full year. For Ramirez, his best season home run-wise saw him hit a home run in 6% of his at-bats. A good clip for a high-end power hitter. Benson hit around 5% in back-to-back-to-back years. He would be hitting around 30-home runs per year in the Majors at that clip.

The problem is his home runs are almost a quarter of all of his hits. In 2017, Ramirez only had 16% of his hits be home runs. He was far more likely to put the ball in play than pulling something for a home run. That’s the sign of a complete hitter. He also only had 69 strikeouts that year or about 12% of his at-bats. Benson, for all of his power, has no plate vision at all. He’s had three straight seasons of 130+ strikeouts and strikes out 37% of the time.

His splits for this year are .211/.359/.446 with an OPS of 805. This is actually his actually a good year batting-average-wise for the 23-year-old outfielder. He’s got tremendous power but very little plate discipline and considering that’s the problem facing the major league lineup, that means Benson is far from ready to call up.

As i posted from BA chat scouts think Naylor was overmatched but remains a real prospect

Bracho report awhile back was more negative by far

Benson has been doubtful from the start

Was there a 4th on his list?

Josh Wolf pitcher from the Mets has underperformed
Tanner Burns top pitcher in last years draft hasnt soared but been ok
Scott Moss from Bauer trade has been terrible at AAA when not hurt

Civ - there was a 4th - it was Nolan Jones. I thought that was redundant.

I think we did read at one time that many organizations, with no minors last year, perhaps promoted some of their prospects a bit over-agressively. We might put Bo Naylor in that category.

Indians sent C Ryan Lavarnway outright to Triple-A Columbus.

Lavarnway had been designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and will stick around in the organization.

I think we did read at one time that many organizations, with no minors last year, perhaps promoted some of their prospects a bit over-agressively. We might put Bo Naylor in that category

That is exactly what BA said a couple days ago in the online chat. The report said scouts still like his offensive approach and potential so still rate him a solid prospect.

What I’m hearing of prospects coming, big roster decisions looming – Terry’s Talkin’ Tribe


Updated: 5:58 a.m. | Published: 5:56 a.m.



By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Lots of information in this story. It focuses on top Tribe prospects at the Class AA and AAA levels, along with players who will be out of minor-league options next season. So you won’t hear much about high-rated younger prospects such as Daniel Espino, who are in the lower levels of the minors.

1. Fans know about the rise of Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie. The team is excited about a projected 2022 rotation of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Quantrill and McKenzie. Since the All-Star break, McKenzie is 4-3 with a 3.30 ERA. Quantrill is 5-1 and 1.79.




2. Cody Morris opened the season on the injured list. Once he began to pitch, the 24-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA between Class AA and AAA. They are keeping his innings low. In 28 frames at Class AAA Columbus, he fanned 38 and has an 0.95 ERA. He was a seventh-round pick from South Carolina in 2018.

3. Logan T. Allen (not the older Logan Allen) is a 23-year-old lefty in his first year of pro ball. He is 8-0 with a 2.37 ERA between Class A and AA. He’s struck out 136 in 106 innings, walking 26. He was a second-round pick from Florida International in 2020.

4. What about the other Logan Allen, the lefty acquired from San Diego in the Trevor Bauer deal? The 24 year old will be out of options in 2022. He is 1-7 with a 7.11 ERA for the Tribe, 2-3 with a 7.95 ERA in Class AAA. My guess is he won’t be on the 40-man roster for 2022. He’s allowed 21 HR in 93 innings between Class AAA and the majors.

5. At Class AA Akron, the two pitchers acquired in midseason trades have been impressive. Konnor Pilkington (for Cesar Hernandez) is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA for the RubberDucks, 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA overall in Class AA with 111 Ks in 95 innings. Peyton Battenfield (for Jordan Luplow) is 7-1 with a 2.53 ERA in Class A, 82 strikeouts in 71 innings, only 14 walks. Neither are considered elite prospects, but these two 23-year-old former college pitchers could see action in Cleveland at some point in 2022.


KONNOR PILKINGTON
New Tribe minor league pitcher Konnor Pilkington was a star at Mississippi State.




6. The Tribe has had Sam Hentges and J.C. Mejia making spot starts in Cleveland. I see them as bullpen arms. They could open 2022 in the Class AAA rotation. Justin Garza and Nick Sandlin (injured) had some nice moments in the bullpen. They are promising.

7. George Valera was signed to a $1.3 million bonus deal out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He has been on their prospect list ever since. But heading into the season, he’s been haunted by injuries – only 198 pro at-bats. But in 2021, he opened at Class A Lake County and has advanced to Class AA Akron. He’s crushed 19 HR in 274 at bats between Class A and AA. He walks a lot, and is hitting .280 (.792 OPS) for the RubberDucks. He’s only 21 and looking like a serious OF prospect for some point in 2022.

8. Tyler Freeman was having a great year at Akron, hitting .323 (.842 OPS) with two home runs and 19 RBI when he suffered a shoulder injury requiring season-ending surgery. This stalled his development, but the 2B/SS remains an exciting prospect. The 22-year-old is a career .319 minor-league hitter (.823 OPS).




9. If the Tribe decides to move Amed Rosario off shortstop in 2022 – and that’s not a given – Gabriel Arias would be a likely replacement. He’s considered the best defensive shortstop in the organization. At 21, he is batting .270 (.757 OPS) with 11 HR and 47 RBI in Class AAA. Yes, the Tribe has Andres Gimenez. But I’ve been hearing him as a second base possibility (along with Owen Miller) in 2022.

10. The Tribe believes it has someone special in 20-year-old SS Brayan Rocchio, who is batting .275 (.808 OPS) between Class A and AA. He is showing significant power: 15 HR, 25 doubles in 105 games. He’s stolen 20 bases. The Tribe doesn’t claim he’s the next Francisco Lindor, but he has Lindor-type all-around athleticism.

YU CHANG
Yu Chang could lose his spot on the 40-man roster for 2022. John Kuntz, cleveland.com


11. All these infield prospects mean Yu Chang could be dropped from the 40-man roster after the season. Chang is batting only .204 (.642 OPS) in 204 plate appearances. He’s 25 and will be out of options in 2022. Daniel Johnson does have options left for 2022, but I wonder about his spot on the 40 man. He’s batting only .211 (.711 OPS) in 60 games at Class AAA. The 26-year-old hit .221 for the Tribe this season.

12. Most hardcore fans know about catcher Bo Naylor, the team’s first-round pick in 2018 who is playing in Akron. The fastest rising catching prospect is Bryan Lavastida, who opened the season at Class A Lake County and after hitting a combined .309 (.870 OPS) at the Class A and AA levels, he’s been moved to to Class AAA. Naylor and Lavastida are why the Tribe was willing to deal catching prospect Yanier Diaz to Houston for Myles Straw.

13. A second-round pick in 2016, Nolan Jones has been a highly ranked prospect for several years. He played all season at Class AAA, batting .238 (.787 OPS) with 13 HR and 48 RBI. A natural third baseman, he has been playing at times in the outfield. His season is likely over with an ankle injury. He will need more work at Class AAA in 2022.




14. Then there’s Oscar Gonzalez, whose name doesn’t appear on many prospect lists. He’s split the season between Class AA and AAA, batting .303 (.896 OPS) with 28 HR and 76 RBI. He’s walked only 21 times compared to 94 strikeouts. The 23 year old is a below average outfielder, but has big league power from his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame. He’s hitting .330 since promoted to Columbus. I’m intrigued.

15. Gonzalez is not on the 40-man roster. In general, talent evaluators are underwhelmed. This from Baseball America: “Gonzalez has long had plus-plus raw power, but this year he’s doing a better job of swinging at pitches that he can actually connect with. The likelihood that Gonzalez will turn into a mashing, everyday hitter is still slim. He’s also got a plus arm in the outfield. He’s more likely to be an up-and-down power bat.”