Cleveland Sports Forum

Lots of new names on that list. BA was crazy about Mejia's debut in the states and he'll likely make the upper reaches of their prospect list. Everyone else from the Dominican etc. is still too raw for ranking, I assume.

Apparently the .500+ slugging average for Frazier in the Arizona League is a rarity. Do we finally have an OF with power in the system? When was the last? Giles?

I will be blunt. Any chance any of these guys ends up playing for the cleveland professional baseball team.

Frazier is a very well regarded prospect. No. 1 prospect in his league (as was Lindor in his). But he's only 18 and is only months out of high school, so absolutely no guarantees of how he turns out. I'm going to look at BA's list of the top prospects in those same lowest level leagues from 5 years ago and see where they are now.

It seems real likely that Kyle Crockett will zoom up to the majors as quickly as Cody Allen and be a quality lefty reliever.

Everyone else is a longshot as are nearly all kids newly drafted.

Here is the list of top 20 prospects in the same Arizona league 5 years ago.
* means has played in the majors.

1. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Royals
2. *Jaff Decker, of, Padres
3. Jharmidy DeJesus, 3b, Mariners
4. *Ehire Adrianza, ss, Giants
5. Manuarys Correa, rhp, Angels
6. Rashun Dixon, of, Athletics
7. *Jake Odorizzi, rhp, Brewers
8. Tyler Sample, rhp, Royals
9. Jose Casilla, rhp, Giants
10. Yowill Espinal, ss/2b, Royals
11. *Joe Wieland, rhp, Rangers
12. *Tyler Chatwood, rhp, Angels
13. Jose Bonilla, c, Royals
14. *Starlin Castro, ss/2b, Cubs
15. Seth Lintz, rhp, Brewers
16. *Junior Lake, ss, Cubs
17. Kyle Nicholson, rhp, Giants
18. Clark Murphy, 1b, Rangers
19. Terrell Alliman, of/3b, Angels
20. Wendell Fairley, of, Giants

List form the Gulf Coast League 5 years ago:

1. *Aaron Hicks, of, Twins
2. *Kyle Skipworth, c, Marlins
3. Jefry Marte, 3b, Mets
4. Jason Knapp, rhp, Phillies
5. Michael Almanzar, 3b, Red Sox
6. *Casey Kelly, rhp/ss, Red Sox
7. Sebastian Valle, c, Phillies
8. Zach Collier, of, Phillies
9. Jack McGeary, lhp, Nationals
10. Abner Abreu, 3b, Indians
11. *Arodys Vizcaino, rhp, Yankees
12. Cesar Puello, of, Mets
13. Anthony Hewitt, 3b, Phillies
14. Esmailyn Gonzalez (Carlos Alvarez), ss, Nationals
15. *L.J. Hoes, 2b, Orioles
16. Isaac Galloway, of, Marlins
17. *Zeke Spruill, rhp, Braves
18. Destin Hood, of, Nationals
19. Derrik Gibson, 3b, Red Sox
20. Jarek Cunningham, 3b/ss, Pirates
* Has played in major leagues

If nothing else these lists confirm that 5 years is a very short time for a Rookie League player to establish himself as a major leaguer. I think Manny made it up quicker than that, but he was exceptional.

By Jonathan Mayo, Major League Baseball.com, I think.

It's quite a time for young shortstop prospects. Some might even call it a renaissance. Once upon a time, you'd be hard-pressed to find talent at the position, and what upside there might be, there was almost always a question about whether the player could stay at the premium defensive spot.

That's not the case anymore. Take a look at our Top 10 shortstops on Prospect Watch. All of them are on the Top 100 overall prospects list. And that doesn't count the Rangers' Jurickson Profar and the Mariners' Nick Franklin, who have graduated off the list.

So identifying the best shortstop prospect is kind of like debating ice cream flavors. They're all good. It's all about which one you like best.

Jim Callis decided to go with the offensive upside of Xander Bogaerts, and it's kind of hard to argue against the choice. One knock against Bogaerts used to be that he wouldn't be able to remain a shortstop and would have to move to third. But he's quieted most of that talk and it looks fairly certain that he has the ability to stay up the middle, at least for the time being. If he moves to third, it would only be because that's where the Red Sox have a need, a la Manny Machado in Baltimore.

But as improved as Bogaerts is, he doesn't come close to the defensive ability of my choice, Francisco Lindor. The top Indians prospect, who is No. 1 on the shortstop list and No. 5 overall, could handle the challenges of the position at the big league level right now.

Lindor, who turns 20 next month, is an exciting combination of tools and instincts and there has never been, nor will there ever be, any questions about his ability to stay at short. His arm, range and hands are all at least above-average. His feel for the position is outstanding, allowing him to play above his already strong tools.

All the talk about his glove shouldn't make anyone believe that Lindor, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 Draft, can't hit. This isn't Jose Iglesias or Adeiny Hechavarria, both of whom carried outstanding defensive reputations to the big leagues, but who had, and continue to have, questions about their ability to hit consistently in the Major Leagues.

Lindor may not have the power that Bogaerts will grow into, but he's far from a slouch. He hit a combined .303/.380/.407 across two levels in 2013. He walked more times than he struck out. How often can you say that about a teenager, let alone a teenager pushed to Double-A during his second full season of pro ball?

All of Lindor's offensive numbers improved this year, while he moved quickly up the Indians' ladder. And there is some extra-base power to come. Don't expect huge numbers, but 10-15 homers with a bunch of doubles certainly seems reasonable. He stole 25 bases this season, 27 in 2012. He's not a burner, but he has enough speed and instincts to be a threat. He hit first or second most of 2013 and his combination of offensive skills fit perfectly at or near the top of a lineup.

Beyond all the numbers, though, is what truly makes Lindor the shortstop prospect I'd pick first. I know there are sabermatricians out there who cringe at the mention of intangibles. But things like makeup and work ethic can go a long way in determining which talented prospect turns into not just a big leaguer, but a premier one.

Simply put, Lindor has it. He carries himself like he belongs, but not in an overly cocky way. He's a natural leader, the type to whom teammates gravitate. Teams often want their shortstops to be coaches on the field, captains of the infield. Lindor has all of those qualities in excess.

Tools may get you to the big leagues. But look on the sides of that road and you'll see plenty of once-touted prospects who didn't quite lived up to billing. Add in the makeup Lindor possesses, and that's a recipe for not only a good Major League shortstop, but one an organization would love to build around.

Tools may get you to the big leagues. But look on the sides of that road and you'll see plenty of once-touted prospects who didn't quite lived up to billing. Add in the makeup Lindor possesses, and that's a recipe for not only a good Major League shortstop, but one an organization would love to build around.

Build your team around a shortstop and you will be as bad as a team that drafts a runningback #3 overall.

Boudreau was a good centerpiece

AFL highlights:

CLE AFL Tyler Naquin, CF 3 1 2 1 .375

Is it April Fools Day?


It's Official: Aeros baseball team becomes Akron RubberDucks

By: Chris Horne, newsnet5.com

AKRON, Ohio - The Akron Aeros are no more. But the team isn't moving anywhere.
Instead, the Double-A affiliate team of the Cleveland Indians has adopted a new identity, choosing to hue closer to the city's iconic rubber industry.

So Tuesday morning, team owner Ken Babby announced the name change to the Akron RubberDucks , featuring a duck logo with tire-tread marks and font.

The new look brings a change in the color scheme too. Now the team will sport uniforms with colors like "Blue Flame, Racing Yellow, Fire Orange and Tire Black."
These changes follow a successful year. According to a news release, more than 295,000 fans visited the team at Canal Park in downtown Akron in 2013.

Our news partners at the Akron Beacon Journal noted that, in the past, fans were asked to vote on name changes. But team owners made the call this time around.

Gee! I liked the Aeros. Rubber Ducks would be a great name for that football team up north.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh85R-S-dh8

I think it's stupid. Maybe would be OK for some lowlevel team in a tiny town, but a AA team should have an adult name, even if something silly like RiverDogs or IronMen or LumberKings. Maybe Rubber Men would be barely passable. But since it's not a rubber city anymore, the Akron Polymers would be more appropriate.

Rubber ducks sounds about right.