Cleveland Sports Forum

Here's BA's update on best picks available on Day two:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/be ... jDh92zz.97

[can non-subscribers open that?]

Baseball Reference likes Holmes, pans the 2nd baseman [who was graded about No. 140 and we took him at about 75]


Second Round (No. 64 Overall): Quentin Holmes, OF, Monsignor McClancy Memorial HS (N.Y.)
For more on Quentin Holmes, I'll direct you to our full player profile here.
The quick summary is, he's the fastest player in this year's draft class and perhaps the only player with a legitimate 80-grade tool.
He's more than just a burner, though, as he has a projectable frame and already started to flash some intriguing power potential this spring. His speed also plays well in center field.
Grade: A-plus
I liked Holmes at the back of the first round, so this is a great pick by the Indians, especially considering it's their first selection.



Lottery Round B (No. 71 Overall): Tyler Freeman, SS, Etiwanda HS (Calif.)

Freeman profiles more as a future utility player than a potential everyday shortstop and his best fit defensively is actually at second base.
He's also expected to be a tough sign away from his commitment to TCU and the Indians would likely have to go above the $816,500 slot value here.
Not sure that's the best use of their funds.
Grade: D
Don't get this pick at all, unless they expect to have to go well-above-slot to sign Holmes.





Colorado Rockies

If we don't sign Freeman, we can use the slot value for other Top 10 picks, I think. So maybe the clever idea is to let him go to TCU and use the $800,000 for a reach pick from the second day?

Yes, Civ, your link worked. Thanks.

Seagull, that's a dopey argument.

What's dopey about wanting some thumpers?

Nothing wrong with wanting a thumper. Just disagreed with the premise.

You don't want Albert Belle pitching games or Jim Thome roaming CF. It takes all kinds to make a team. And maybe the Indians thought Holmes had a far better shot at making a fine CF'er and lead off man than any of the thumpers on the board at the time had of being a clean up hitter.

Drafting in any sport is a crap shoot but more so in baseball than any other. But if you go looking for one thing and reaching for it over more talented guys you're just begging for failure.

Won't know till 3 or 4 years down the road.

I like drafting guys like Zimmer with big bodies, can run a little and hit them a long way.

No more smurfs.

Indians knew who they liked deep in the draft, but would they be there?

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians, without a first-round pick in this year's draft, changed eye levels when it came to scouting the country for players.

They took a look at the premium players such as Royce Lewis, the high school shortstop who was selected by the Twins as the first pick in the country, but they didn't invest much time or energy. They concentrated on the belly of the draft where they knew their first two picks would be - No. 64 and No. 71.

Late Monday night they selected school players Quentin Holmes and Tyler Freeman with two picks. They were familiar with both players.

https://youtu.be/JiN3UaKYgjQ

https://youtu.be/0Rcfqo2ZVqU


Holmes is a center fielder from Queens, N.Y. with speed. Freeman is a shortstop from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. They sent former Tribe infielder John McDonald to California to work with him.

"The big attraction with Quentin is his speed," said Brad Grant, Indians senior director of amateur scouting. "He's a 70 runner (80 is the top grade for Tribe scouts). He also has the potential to be a plus defensive player and a very contact-oriented hitter.

"He was a fixture on the showcase circuit this summer and set the PG (Perfect Game) national 60-yard dash record with a 6.19. He's a fun player to watch and a great person on an off the field. We couldn't be more excited to take Quentin at 64."

Holmes, 6-1, 175 pounds, bats and throws right-handed. He scored 33 runs and stole 22 bases in 23 attempts for Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School.

He's also a baseball rat. His father and him built a batting cage in their backyard a couple of years ago when it became clear the basketball court wasn't needed. Not only does Holmes use the cage, but he and his father have opened a hitting school.

Freeman, another right-handed hitter, led all California high school players with a .526 (51-for-97) batting average at Etiwanda High School. He had eight doubles, four triples, four homers in 30 games this year.

Etiwanda, with Freeman and his brother, Cody, forming the double play combination, won the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Southern Section Division title this year at Dodger Stadium. He was named Baseline League MVP.

"He's an unbelievable offensive oriented player," said Grant. "He brings a lot of offensive tools to the game. He should go out and hit and the power should come. We'll start him out at shortstop and let him play there."

Holmes has signed a letter of intent to Mississippi State University. Freeman has done the same with TCU.

"It was tough for us to predict who would be down there (in those rounds)," said Grant. "But to get both those players, both with athleticism, but some secondary tool sets as well, is what is really attractive to us."


The Indians usually don't draft players unless they have a strong indication that they're ready to turn pro. The slotting bonus for Holmes is $969,900, while Freeman is $816,500. The Indians bonus pool for signing the players they select in the first 10 rounds is just over $3.8 million.


"We've built strong relationships with both Quentin and Tyler," said Grant. "We spent a lot of time with both of them. Our scouts, Mike Bradford with Tyler Freeman and Mike Kanen with Quentin Holmes have built very strong relationships with them.

"We had Johnny McDonald go out and spend time with Tyler as well. We are obviously taking the steps to sign them and get them into our system."

The deadline for teams to sign their draft picks in July 15. The draft continues Tuesday through Wednesday.

Round 3:

Jonathan Rodriguez OF Puerto Rico is one of the youngest players in the class, and he won't turn 18 until November. He has excellent raw tools and a projectable 6-foot-3, broad-shouldered frame with a tapered waist and room to to add muscle. He shows some of the best pure arm strength in the class; his arm grades as a present 60 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. He shows flashes offensively but has a long swing with a deep load, and scouts believe it will take him a while to adjust to professional pitching. He's a high-risk, high-reward pick and could entice a team on day two or day three with his exciting raw tools.
[do not see him on the BA Top 200. We picked him at 102. Not a bad choice I guess for the 3rd round for a team without any can't miss type top picks]

Round 4: Ernie Clement U of Virginia Another damned 2nd baseman

In a strikeout era, Clement's calling card is contact. The slender infielder had just 31 strikeouts in his first 710 college at-bats and ranked first in the nation in 2017 by striking out once every 31.3 at-bats through mid-May. He's a singles hitter though, even in the Cape Cod League, where the Rochester, N.Y., native thrived last summer, hitting .353 with a league-high 59 hits and 19 stolen bases to win the league's MVP award. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and barrel control that allows him to spoil pitcher's pitches, but he also doesn't walk much (31 in three seasons). Clement played his way into the startling lineup as a freshman and was an all-College World Series pick when Virginia won the 2015 title, but he hasn't hit quite as well for Virginia this spring while becoming the full-time shortstop, after playing second base and center field in his first two seasons. His average arm is shy for shortstop on an everyday basis. He's an above-average runner and solid if unspectacular basestealer whose lack of power and defensive versatility profiles him well as a utility option as a big leaguer.


[Pretty exciting blend of skills: He hits lots of singles and doesn't strike out a lot and can steal a couple bases. There was some singles hitting OF who got as far as Akron a few years ago. This guy may be so lucky.]
[drafted at No. 132. He's rated No. 94, above that miserable Freeman picked yesterday. One 2nd baseman will be enough.]

Round 5: OF Austen Wade TCU [drafted 162, not in the BA top 200 either]

Wade has always known how to get on base. As a sophomore, he walked 57 times, as he finished second on Texas Christian's squad in on-base percentage (.434) despite a complete lack of power. The lefthanded hitter will never be a slugger, but he did show an improved ability to drive the ball this year, which helped him hit .361/.466/.534 while swiping 14 bags in 19 attempts. Wade doesn't project as a regular in pro ball, but his ability to play anywhere in the outfield makes him a potential fourth outfielder. Any manager would appreciate his hard-nosed approach.


Another hard-nosed leadoff hitter with zero power. Maybe he reminds me more of that OF I'm thinking about.

I surely have not found some "reach pick" from the Tuesday rounds for whom we'll want to spend the money we'll save by not signing Freeman. Although maybe Rodriguez could fit that definition.

Obviously I was wrong, the Indians do not need pitching depth. I imagine that in the upcoming rounds they'll pick up some pitch to contact college starters to fill minor league rosters. As previously noted in Minor Matters, the Scrappers have a few roster spots to plug

Round 6: Scrappers get their catcher: Mike Rivera, U of Florida

A prep and college teammate of Gators shortstop Dalton Guthrie, Mike Rivera has the catch-and-throw skills and leadership to earn spots on two USA Baseball clubs, both as a prep and last summer with the Collegiate National Team. His bat (he hit 2-for-22 last summer) isn’t what got him there. The strong 5-foot-10, 205-pounder could firm up his frame a bit but has the flexibility and low target to be a solid blocker and receiver. He has a solid-average arm as well with a quick transfer and strong accuracy, helping him throw out 50 percent of basestealers over the last two seasons. Offensively, he fits a backup catcher profile with modest bat-to-ball skills but with enough power to hit out mistakes and a solid idea of the strike zone. Rivera had missed the second half of 2017 with a left hamate injury but returned at the SEC tournament. He’s seen as at least a strong organizational player with a chance to be a backup catcher.

The Logan Ice of 2017, with less offense. Exciting.

[drafted at 192, rated at 162]

Our current roster includes players drafted lower than where we are now, Tomlin around 10th, Allen something like 15th round. Don't have time to research. Probably more. So hidden gems await today and tomorrow

Tribeinsider‏ @tribeinsider 27 minutes ago
7th round update (#222)
Indians select LHP Kirk McCarty out of Southern Mississippi. Named first-team All-Conf USA; went 10-2 w/a 3.52 ERA