With just 20 players left in our Indians minor league prospect rankings, today we have numbers 11 through 20. Ranking the prospects this year were Joseph Coblitz, Justin Lada, Kevin Gall, Gavin Potter, Caitlin Boron and John Hutchison. Prospects must not have played a single inning at the Major League level to be included.
20. Nolan Jones – 3B – Age: 18
Level: AZL – 2016 Draft, 2nd Rnd – 2015 Rank: Not in System
By Joseph Coblitz
Taken with the 55th pick in 2016, Jones was the pick that got most Indians fans excited, even more than first rounder Will Benson, as he was targeted by some to be the Indians first round pick. Defensively, I have never seen a better third baseman in the AZL, although that didn’t translate to the few games he played at short. While he committed errors, some of that has to go to the fact that the AZL Indians exclusively used players who had never played first before at the position in Jose Vicente and Ulysses Cantu.
Offensively, he has a great stroke and good patience at the plate, leading to a .388 OBP despite hitting under .250. It was his poor offensive performance in 2016 that kept him this low in the rankings, but he is only 18 and has the ability that makes me believe he will improve markedly in 2017. Expect him in Mahoning Valley at least by mid-season next year.
19. Gabriel Mejia – CF – Age: 21
Level: SS – 2013 International Free Agent – 2015 Rank: 17
By Joseph Coblitz
Mejia is probably the biggest difference between the Burning River Baseball Indians prospect rankings and those elsewhere, but that is because most people haven’t seen him, while myself (covering the Arizona Rookie and Instructional Leagues as well as Extended Spring) and Cait (covering Mahoning Valley) have. As more people see this incredible athlete, he will start moving up in national recognition as well.
Mejia broke onto my RADAR with his 72 steals in 70 games during his first season in the DSL and has since added 68 more in the US. In Mahoning Valley this year he added 28 of those while getting caught nine times and batting .322, his worst average for any season. He has almost no power, but is so aggressive on the bases that he regularly turns seeing eye singles into doubles and anything into a gap at all is at risk of becoming a triple. Once on in any fashion, any hit can easily turn into extra bases as he is almost always looking to steal two bases.
As mentioned, he gets on with hits often, but also walks a lot (97 walks to 129 K’s so far in his MiLB career), bunts and is so fast he forces many more errors than the average runner. He has much to learn, particularly in how to pick his spots to run and how to run a better route in the outfield (although his speed makes up for mistakes), but Mejia is literally the fasted baseball player I’ve ever seen and I watch the Reds often in Spring Training. He should start 2017 in Lake County, but hopefully he will play well and can skip to Lynchburg early enough in the year that he can be in Akron by 2018.
18. Ka’ai Tom– OF – Age: 22
Level: A – Drafted 2015, Rnd 5 – 2015 Rank: 28
By Justin Lada
On June 2nd, 2016 Tom was slashing .323/.446/.434 in 28 games. On a dive back to first base on a pickoff, Tom injured his shoulder and didn’t play another game. The shoulder injury derailed most of his age-22 season which is tough for any player with only 94 career games. However, if the shoulder is intact in 2017 and Tom is 100% from day one, it won’t be a big setback.
Tom does many things well. He doesn’t strike out (15.4 K% in rookie ball in 2015, 10.6 K% in 2016 at Lake County), puts the ball in play (.365 BABIP in 2016), plays pretty good defense in center field and runs well (17-25 SBs in minor league career). Don’t let Tom’s 5’9″ frame fool you. He’s well built with a strong upper body and legs. He’s a high energy player who does pretty much everything good, nothing great.
He slashed .375/.443/.528 at Kentucky and was a two time All-SEC OF after transferring from a community college. I’ve actually had a chance to see the Hawaii native since 2013 when he played in a summer college league in New York (NYCBL). He puts the ball in play, roams the outfield well and can be a disturbance on the bases. Essentially, he’s everything you’d want in a fourth OF. His aggressive style of baseball could possibly lend him to more injuries, but if he’s healthy and his age/level experience doesn’t hold him back, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had the ability to develop into a regular who could play center or left. Ideally, he might make a for a good fourth outfielder on a first division team but given his contact skills and speed, he could start for somebody if that continues to translate as he faces more advanced pitching. His success in the SEC leads me to believe that it could.
17. Nellie Rodriguez – 1B – Age: 22
Level: AA – 2012 Draft, Rnd 15 – 2015 Rank: #12
By Gavin Potter
The Indians organization has struggled to produce a right-handed power bat in seemingly forever and Rodriguez represents hope (albeit small) of that changing. In his 5th year of professional baseball, Rodriguez has averaged 23 home runs per 150 games and slugged 26 in just 132 games last year at AA.
Like most power prospects, Rodriguez’s power comes with contact issues, as he struck out in over 32% of at bats in 2016. While he’s been able to produce despite the strikeouts in the minors (.826 OPS in AA In 2016), that much swing-and-miss doesn’t project well in the MLB, even though he walks a lot. His inability to successfully put the ball gives Rodriguez very little margin for error as a prospect given his average at best defense and first base-only profile. However, Nellie Rod is young, and if he can continue producing and slightly reduce his contact problems, his power would be welcome in Cleveland.
16. Shane Beiber – RHP – Age: 21
Level: SS – 2016 Draft, Rnd 4 – 2015 Rank: Not in System
By Caitlin Boron
If there’s one Bieber to fever over, it’s this one. Yep, I went there. But really, Shane has taken his role on the mound and proven that he has something worth talking about. 2016 was the righty-starter’s first season of professional baseball and he finished it topping the ERA list with a 0.38 in 8 starts. If those who aren’t sure how good that ERA is, that means he gave up literally one earned run (2 runs total) off of 10 hits. At the short season level one might say that’s still nothing to sneeze at, but when you see how this guy carries himself on and off the field, you’ll understand this isn’t just a low-A fluke. The real test will be how he plays in spring and potentially how he deals with a transition to a higher level of playing in the not-so-distant future.
15. Aaron Civale – RHP – Age: 21
Level: SS – 2016 Draft, Rnd 3 – 2015 Rank: Not in System
By Caitlin Boron
Civale isn’t going to be that high velocity pitcher throwing heat until his arm burns off, but he will dazzle fans and scouts with his command, control and ability to throw strikes (28 K’s in 13 games for a 6.7 K/9). He didn’t see a ton of play time in Mahoning Valley, only going 3.2 innings or less in each game, but don’t take that as a negative. If it was he wouldn’t be in our top 20. His bread and butter pitch is his slider and it’s filthy when he’s locked in. His prior experience in coming out of the bullpen in college and how he’s being used in Mahoning Valley paint a picture of a future in the pen, though I wouldn’t rule out the starting role just yet. I imagine he will spend another season in Mahoning Valley to play with the ideas of starter and relief and see which he leans towards before moving him up.
14. Rob Kaminskey – LHP – Age: 22
Level: AA – 2015 Trade from St. Louis – 2015 Rank: #8
By Gavin Potter
Originally a first round pick in 2013 and one of the best prospects in the fruitful St. Louis farm system, Kaminsky was acquired by Cleveland for Brandon Moss at the trade deadline in 2015. At just 5’11”, the southpaw doesn’t look imposing, and his stuff isn’t overpowering, as his fastball sits at 88-91 mph. However, he demonstrates good control, and most scouts rave about his curveball.
Despite good results in 2015 and 2016, (2.83 ERA between High-A and AA), Kaminsky’s stock has taken a bit of a hit recently due to injuries, a dip in velocity, and very uninspiring strikeout rates (6.04 K/9 in 2016). Once considered a potential #3 arm, Kaminsky now is a 4th or 5th starter at best, and that projection relies on his change-up developing into a stronger pitch. At 22 and already having pitched 25 games at AA, Kaminsky has time on his side to solidify his profile as a starting pitcher. However, if he never works out as a starter, he could potentially be a two-pitch reliever, especially against left-handed hitters.
13. Will Benson – RF – Age: 18
Level: AZL – 2016 Draft, 1st Rnd – 2015 Rank: Not in System
By Joseph Coblitz
Simply being a first round pick makes one a “top prospect” and the Indians have been picking well lately with three first rounders coming tomorrow in the top ten and more in the Majors right now, like Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall. Benson, however, is not ready to join their ranks as the best in the Indians system.
Benson has a gigantic swing, the kind that made him the top power prospect going into the 2016 draft and also lead to 60 strike outs in 44 games in his first professional season. When he made contact, it certainly went far and he was responsible for some of the longest bombs seen at Goodyear Ballpark this summer (6 home runs, 10 doubles). A few more positives are that he fields his position much better than most sluggers and runs the bases better as well, but those are aspects of the game that could deteriorate should he continue trying to be an all out home run hitter.
While there will always be a place for the Mark Reynolds type hitter who swings from their heels every chance they get (Mike Napoli certainly worked out pretty well for awhile), Benson will find much more consistant success if he can cut down on his swing and take a few more of those borderline pitches, waiting to unleash his power only on the pitches that deserve it.
T11. Juan Hillman – LHP – Age: 19
Level: SS – 2015 Draft, Rnd 2 – 2015 Rank: 11
By Caitlin Boron
Juan Hillman was ranked by Baseball America as the Indians 4th best southpaw in their farm system in 2016. At just 19 years old, there’s a lot of room for growth and improvement, but the lefty has definitely played his way to the higher ranks. He was expected to start his season in Lake County after spending his 2015 in the rookie leagues of Arizona, but that was not the case.
One might see a few rough patches from Hillman in his future, but not to the point of worry. It’ll be when he’s on the verge of genius and from that patch will come brilliance on the mound. There’s impressive stuff in his change-up, and I hope to see more fire in his fastball if it’s going to be his most relied on pitch going forward. The kid has a bright future with a ton of potential. I wouldn’t mind seeing him start next season in Lake County to get the feel of the full season, and depending on how he does, could go back to Mahoning Valley mid-way through.
T11. Mark Mathias – 2B – Age: 22
Level: AA – 2015 Draft, Rnd 3 – 2015 Rank: 17
By Caitlin Boron
Mark Mathias should have been on your radar since he was drafted just a season ago. He started off hot with the Scrappers and quickly asserted his dominance over the infield and at the plate. The second baseman must really enjoy that middle-infield bag because in his first season, 2015, he racked up 19 doubles, just shy of half the doubles he hit in 2016 (40). Defensively, he’s averaged 45.3 double-plays between his first two seasons. The teams have also explored his versatility at third and shortstop.
Mathias is someone you go to the games to see and you’ll stop whatever you’re doing when he’s up to bat. He’s an attention-getter for all the right reasons and if he continues his positive progress he will have nothing but forward momentum in his career. This might be an issue the higher he gets though, seeing as Jason Kipnis isn’t going anywhere soon, so there’s a possibility of him being a game-changer-trade-piece in some future deal.
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