In seasons without play-offs, the Arizona Fall League is at it’s most visual with no other baseball going on. For the last two seasons, however, the mixed level league has been pushed to the background for great reason as the Indians look to have long runs in the play-offs.
Despite this, there is still importance to the league. Last year, Bradley Zimmer and Greg Allen each played regularly for the Mesa Solar Sox and that eventually translated into them making their Major League debuts in 2017. This time, a player who has already made his Major League debut, Francisco Mejia, will be looking to prepare himself to become a full time starter in 2018.
The Indians have changed affiliates every year in recent seasons and this year is no different. Gone from the Solar Sox, Cleveland will now be part of the Glendale Desert Dogs, who play at the closest home stadium to Goodyear Ballpark, Camelback Ranch. Along with the Indians are the two local teams, the White Sox and Dodgers as well as two Grapefruit league teams, the Phillies and Pirates.
Argenis Angulo
One of the Indians top relievers, Angulo struck out 68 in 55 innings for Lynchburg in 2017. He’s already 23, however, and playing well in the AFL could help him not just start strong in Akron next year, but potentially move on to Columbus early in the season. This could make him a potential option for the Major League club by October 2018 and definitely by Spring Training 2019.
Sean Brady
The left handed starter missed much of the 2017 season due to a shoulder injury and will look to make up that lost time in the Fall League. He’s also 23 and would have spent the whole year in Lynchburg if he had been healthy. He doesn’t have knock your socks off stuff, but could eventually be a depth option for the Indians. He will most likely to spend most of 2018 in Akron regardless of his performance in Glendale.
Luke Eubank
Eubank missed even more of 2017 than Brady, although he was more dominant in his limited time in Lynchburg. He’s in essentially an identical situation to Brady, although as a right handed reliever. Also 23, he could play anywhere from high A through AAA next year and making it through 2017 healthy could have something to do with it.
Leandro Linares
Signed back in 2013 as an International Free Agent, Linares is finally, potentially nearing his Major League future. He has the highest ceiling of all the Indians minor league relievers and really needs to work on his command during the AFL after ending the season in Akron. His K/9 has also dropped a little bit from 2016, so it would be positive to see him get back to his peak before hitting AAA next year.
Bobby Bradley
Bradley blasted onto the scene in 2014 by winning the AZL triple crown and MVP, but incredibly high strike out numbers in 2015 and 2016 tempered expectations. He greatly improved that BB/K rate in 2017 in Akron, posting his best season since 2014 at the highest level he’s played in. Bradley is only 21 and will likely be using the AFL in a similar manner to Zimmer in 2016, trying to hone his game and make slight improvements that could potentially push him into the Majors in 2018.
Tyler Krieger
For Krieger, there really is no off-season. He was the only Indians player to participate in Asian half of the World Baseball Classic (with team Israel), which began on March 6th and began training even earlier and now he will continue playing with Glendale through mid-November. It’s easy to see why Krieger may want to continue his season after he had a rough year in Akron, but he shouldn’t put too much emphasis on his 2017 regular season. He is only in his second professional season after missing the year he was drafted with an injury. It wouldn’t be the worst thing for Krieger to repeat Akron in 2018, especially considering the Indians current lack of need of a second baseman.
Francisco Mejia
If you only know one player from the Indians minor league system, it would be Mejia. He was added to the 40 man roster at the end of 2016 and made his MLB debut this year. For a player who is only 21 and has already demolished AA and made it to the big leagues, the AFL wouldn’t normally make a lot of sense, but Mejia has a specific goal. He will be learning how to play third base.
Eventually, Mejia seems the obvious choice to replace either Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez at catcher, but right now, the Indians aren’t ready to make that decision yet. Even so, there’s no way to keep Mejia down in AAA beyond 2018 and both catchers are signed through 2019 guaranteed and 2021 with options. With this being the case, turning Mejia into a pseudo utility man who could play catcher, third and DH could potentially get him enough playing time in 2018 to warrant him being on roster for the entire season.
Ka’ai Tom
While his batting average dropped this year, Tom otherwise had his best season so far in 2017, stealing 23 bases to just six times caught with 31 doubles, seven triples and ten home runs. Incredibly, this was Tom’s first full season after missing major amounts of time in each of his first two years due to injuries and he already seems fully ready for AA. The AFL may allow him to make up for some of that lost time from previous years. While not considered a top outfield prospect, he’s certainly intriguing with at least three great tools (speed, arm and power).
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