Cleveland Sports Forum

Here ya go, Seagull. Guy projected as a power bat and right fielder. ...

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2017 Cleveland Indians Third Round Draft Pick: Johnathan Rodriguez, OF

Tony Lastoria

The Indians select high school outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez with their third round pick in the 2017 Draft...

With their 3rd round pick (102nd overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Cleveland Indians selected high school outfielder Jonathan Rodriguez from Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy.

Born: 11/04/99 — Height: 6'3" — Weight: 180 — Bats: Switch — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Johnathan Rodriguez is not on many boards, but a big reason for that is the fact he reclassified to be draft eligible at the start of March. He is the third straight young bat for the Indians. Rodriguez is the youngest of the group. He also has the highest ceiling of the group. He is a big kid, with plus bat speed. He instantly becomes one better power bats in the system in terms of potential future grade. He has a strong arm as a pitcher so profiles fine in right field. Chance he could be tried as a pitcher if he fails as a hitter as arm is that strong. He could end up a special talent, nice get for the Indians whose late reclassify caused him to miss out on half of the draft season and scouting.

2017 Cleveland Indians 4th Round Pick: Ernie Clement, 2B

Tony Lastoria

In the 4th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Cleveland Indians picked second baseman Ernie Clement from Virginia...

With the 132nd pick overall, coming in the 4th round, the Cleveland Indians selected second baseman Ernie Clement, by way of the University of Virginia.

Born: 03/22/96 — Height: 6'0" — Weight: 170 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Ernie Clement means the Indians go back to drafting from Virginia after not having taken a player from there since Mike Papi. I had Clement in the top 100 as a future utility player. He was one of the hardest guys to strike out in the country this year. He struck out just 7 times in 285 place appearances this year. He has no power at all and doesn’t walk either so the value offensively is entirely based on batting average and his ability to get on base in that manner. This is why I project him as backup, as a singles hitter who can run a little it is going to be hard for him to be much more than that.

Not really understanding that Clement pick. Not exactly seeing where you can project him as anything special in any catagory. Doesn't look to be a future lead off type. Doesn't look like he has power potential. Looks like just another guy. Don't get it.

8th Round

#252

Eli Morgan

RHP

Junior Gonzaga

5'10" 190#

DOB: 5/13/96

Nice article at BA about our latest pitcher picked ...

Underestimate Gonzaga’s Eli Morgan At Your Own Risk

If you’re a righthander who stands less than six feet and throws a changeup, you grew up idolizing Pedro Martinez, right? Not Eli Morgan.

As a kid, the Gonzaga ace worshipped two 6-foot-6 righthanders in Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay, pitchers who dominated with not only their hard stuff, but their mound presence as well.

Conversely, the mild-mannered, cerebral Morgan, who stands 5-10 and weighs 185 pounds, looks like your paper boy. And that might lead some opposing teams to underestimate him when he first takes the mound

“I could see that,” he said. “At first they watch my warmups (and) they see the low nines (90s). They can’t tell about the changeup from the side.”

It doesn’t take long for opponents to find out they underestimated the junior from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Despite his size and relative lack of velocity—he tops out at 92 mph—Morgan is tied for second in the country with 107 strikeouts in 79.1 innings, and that includes two games of 15 strikeouts, most recently on April 21 at Portland.

Morgan is 7-2, 2.95 and opponents are hitting .210 against him, and most of that is due to his changeup—a pitch he started throwing not too long ago.

“I’d say I started working on that pitch in high school,” he said. “I threw a split finger in high school, and I knew I still needed a third pitch, other than my breaking ball. “That was something my pitching coach in high school said I needed if I was going to pitch at this level.”

Morgan said he uses a circle-change grip along the four seams that he picked up watching GIFs of the Royals’ Danny Duffy.

“(But) I think the biggest (resemblance) is Marco Estrada from the Blue Jays,” Morgan said when asked which major leaguer he pitches like. “(The pitches) have similar sinking action, with 12-14 miles (an hour) separation.”

The pitch has deep run and sink, and one talent evaluator called it the best changeup he’s ever seen from a college pitcher. The pitch has a tremendous amount of fade, the evaluator said, moving away from lefthanders. The change has screwball action, and the evaluator called it a present plus offering.

Morgan uses his changeup, which sits 74-76 mph, to set up his well-spotted fastball, which sits 88-91. He can reach back for 92 when he needs it and his arm speed and hand speed are so good, he gets awkward-looking swings.

“What they see from the side and what they see from the box are two different things,” coach Mark Machtolf said. “There’s some deception there.”

Morgan says his strikeouts are a product of his ability to throw first-pitch strikes and the sharpness of his change.

But his bulldog mentality helps, Machtolf said.

“He is a fierce competitor, it’s one of his best assets,” said Machtolf, in his 14th season at Gonzaga. “He always wants the ball, and thinks he can beat anybody. It’s a big part of his success.”

Morgan has been excellent in three years at Gonzaga and had a stellar run in the summer Alaska Baseball League with the Matsu Miners in 2015. But pitchers Morgan’s size have few big league analogs. Although Morgan’s the size of the average American male, the vast majority of big league righthanders are at least six feet tall.

Morgan doesn’t like to talk about his draft status, but he couldn’t help but take notice when his former Gonzaga teammate Brandon Bailey—just 5-10, 175 pounds himself—got selected in the sixth round a year ago by Oakland.

Morgan also kept a close eye on how Bailey succeeded on the mound.

“I definitely watched how he got guys out,” Morgan said. “He got a good bit of strikeouts. I assessed him and more on how he can get outs, being that small.”

The evaluator who saw Morgan also warned about counting him out, pointing out the success of relatively diminutive righthanders such as Sonny Gray and Rich Harden.

Morgan might not have watched much of Pedro Martinez, the 5-foot-11 Expos and Red Sox Hall of Famer with the dynamite changeup. But there is another 5-foot-11 righthander Morgan compares himself with.

“I am similar to (Johnny) Cueto,” he said. “I did something similar last year, changing timing, messing with tempos, pausing, switching pitches. His fastball is firmer than mine, and he’s got a pretty good slider. But I model my pitching right now after him.”

He’s not Cueto, but don’t discount Morgan, his coach said.

“Off the field, he’s kind of laid back, he’s not overly vocal,” Machtolf said. “But on the mound, he’s a big-time competitor.”

The other pitcher we selected a couple rounds back, McCarty, is also 5'10" 185#.

Looks like they're hoping to hit on a pitcher who slipped due to size...?

2017 Cleveland Indians Third Round Draft Pick: Johnathan Rodriguez, OF

Me likey!!!

Jeff Passan‏ @JeffPassan 6 minutes ago

When Dave Morgan hired me at Yahoo, his son, Eli, was 9 years old. Today the Indians drafted Eli Morgan in the 8th round. So happy for both.
4 replies 10 retweets 71 likes

Jeff Passan‏ @JeffPassan

Eli Morgan, by the way, is a RHP, and an excellent one. 100 IP, 138 Ks for Gonzaga. If he weren't 5-foot-10, he'd have gone a lot higher.

9th Round

#282

James Karinchak

6'3" 215#

DOB: 9/22/1995

RHP

Junior Bryant University

I think Karinchak is a Rhode Island boy, Seagull.

5'10" RHPs might be able to get college players out, but not too many get professional players out, unless your name is Pedro Martinez.

Dodgers gave up on Pedro....too small.

Bryant is a RI college but Karinchak is a NY kid

2017 Cleveland Indians 5th Round Pick: Austen Wade, OF

Tony Lastoria

With the 162nd overall pick, coming in the 5th round, the Cleveland Indians picked up senior center fielder Austen Wade by way of Texas Christian University.

The Cleveland Indians swiped another name off the board in the 2017 MLB Draft, this time picking center fielder Austen Wade from Texas Christian University at 162nd overall in the 5th round.

Born: 02/17/96 — Height: 6'1" — Weight: 185 — Bats: Left — Throws: Left

Jeff Ellis: This is a pick that feels like it might be an under slot signing. Wade is a center fielder who doesn’t have the speed for center. He has a lot of swing and miss, and little power. What he does do well is is get on base and walk a lot. He could be called a grinder a guy who over performs his tools and keeps proving people wrong. He has shown high BABIP in college with the walk totals shows a player who does have the skills to get on base. He has consistently over performed and been the heart of one of the top teams in the country. He is likely a fourth outfielder type, but should seems likely to reach majors. He could over perform as every time he has been doubt he continues to shine.

Oh, I dunno about that, Seagull. The Rays and Blue Jays both have some small pitchers that do pretty darn well.

The odds aren't in their favor though. But they're out there.

That pick reminds me of the Sheffield pick. Talented smaller pitchers slip because of their size and some times you can find a sleeper.

Stroman for the Jays is really tiny. Lincecum is listed at 5'11". Isn't Chris Archer a little dude?

Fernando Valenzuela was under 6 foot. Ron Guidry was little. Whitey Ford too.

Billy Wagner was a darn fine closer for a while and small dude.

Just off top of my head.

Again, I know there are far more better bigger guys. Just saying the name doesn't have to be just Pedro. There are others.