After four days of rankings, we’re finally down to the top ten. While you may not have heard of many of the other players on our list, this group you should be familiar with or should take the time to know now, because they are the future.
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.
10. Anthony Santander – OF – Age: 22
Level: A+ – 2011 International Free Agent – 2015 Rank: Unranked
By Justin Lada
9. Tyler Krieger – 2B – Age: 22
Level: A+ – 2015 Draft, Rnd 4 – 2015 Rank: 27
By Justin Lada
Had Krieger not suffered a shoulder injury and need surgery at Clemson, he would have continued to play shortstop and would have not been available in the fourth round for the Indians. Krieger gets high marks for his character, leadership skills and his bat. The Indians were cautious with his shoulder, holding him out in 2015 and letting him make his pro debut in Low-A in 2016. He only played second base in 2016 and it sounds as if his days at shortstop are probably over unless the Indians decide down the road he needs the versatility to help them at the big league level, but his bat will be the ultimate decider of his role.
He doesn’t have much power and does strike out a bit (20% + K% at Low-A/High-A in 2016), but does walk as well (9.7%, 10.9% BB%). He does run well and has gap power. Being a switch hitter who doesn’t carry a major platoon split (although he did slug .500 vs. LHP vs. .398 vs. RHP). He struggled a bit to adapt to second base early in 2016 but not for lack of athleticism, range or hands. He generally just had some issues making reads and getting jumps. As he gets used to the position more, he should be more than adequate at second base even if unspectacular. His makeup though will allow him to make himself playable there if his bat carries him to the majors.
8. Yu-Cheng Chang – SS – Age: 21
Level: A+ – 2013 International Free Agent – 2015 Rank: #30
By Gavin Potter
Chang has been one of the biggest risers among Indians prospects recently, coming in 22 places higher this year than in BRB’s 2015 rankings. Other teams took notice of the 21-year old Taiwanese infielder, as he was part of the Indians’ canceled trade deadline deal with Milwaukee for Jonathon Lucroy.
There is a lot to like about Chang’s profile. As a hitter, he offers above-average power, an all-fields approach, and a solid walk-rate. His strikeout rates have been a little bit high in Low-A and High-A at 23%, but not necessarily alarming. He was having a stellar 2016 campaign, posting an .829 OPS through 98 games, before a wrist injury resulted in a late-season slump that brought down his overall numbers.
While some scouts are skeptical Chang’s physical tools will allow him to remain at short in the MLB, he has a done a solid job so far, and his power should play at third or second base anyway. All in all, Chang has a decent chance at being an MLB average regular.
7. Greg Allen – CF – Age: 23
Level: AA – 2014 Draft, Rnd 6 – 2015 Rank: 22
By Justin Lada
Allen will be 24 in 2017 so he is currently at peak prospect status. If he doesn’t reach the majors in 2017, he either got hurt or had a huge step back in his development. If he starts 2018 at AAA with no major league at bats, it may take away from his total value. Aside from the age, Allen is a switch hitter without a major platoon split, though he seemed to show a better hit tool versus right handers and more pop against lefties. He doesn’t strike out a ton (15.5% K% in AA, 11.8% in High-A) and will take plenty of walks (10.9% AA, 13.4% in High-A).
He roams centerfield quite well, using his speed, getting good jumps on the ball and even has a flair for the big play. He does need to continue to get better reads on fly balls, but Allen is a high-character player as well and has great work ethic. He has 121 steals in three minor league seasons and has been caught 34 times, so he has plenty of speed. He just needs to continue to lead how to read pitchers. Some people have come close to giving him the Kenny Lofton tag, myself included.
I don’t know that he’ll hit as well as Lofton did and he might not be *as* good as Lofton defensively in center, but I don’t think it’s farfetched to call him Lofton-lite. Lofton probably also had a bit more pop in his prime, but Allen showed more in AA, so he could still develop a tad more. Allen is very good, maybe for now just short of great in center field and has proven to be just as good in left field. He has a good eye and can hit from both sides of the plate and has plenty of speed. He should be the Indians lead-off hitter for the next several years if things break right and at worst would be one of the better fourth outfielders in baseball and plenty good enough to step into a spot in case of an injury without sacrificing much.
6. Brady Aiken – LHP – Age: 20
Level: SS – 2015 Draft, 1st Rnd – 2015 Rank: 3
By Joseph Coblitz
The different between potential (the next Clayton Kershaw) and reality (a 7.12 ERA in the AZL in 2016) was responsible for Aiken’s drop in our rankings from third (behind Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier) to sixth over the last year. I personally saw things the other way, however, as on my individual rankings I had him at 12 in 2015 and 4th in 2016.
This is important, because I was one of few to actually see Aiken pitch. I saw him pitch his first game in Extended Spring Training and his first official game in the AZL. Overall, I witnessed at least six of his rookie level starts and his stats are an unfair way to judge him.
AZL hitters are raw, but were still talented enough to get drafted or signed. Many feasted on the multitudes of high school pitchers who were not good enough to draft, so when they see a mid-80’s fastball without much movement, they crush it. This was also the reason for Triston McKenzie‘s success at this level (more on him later). Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Aiken took things extremely slow. His first starts were just one inning each and even as he lengthened out, he never threw at 100%. With this, his fast ball only maxed out at 88 MPH with his change at around 80, but sometimes as high as 82 or 83 and it was on these pitches he was knocked around.
What keeps Aiken so high in the rankings (and created the Kershaw comp), however, is his curve. With a lack of control early on and an easily hittable fastball, AZL hitters ignored the curve most of the time, but he still struck out 57 in 46.1 innings between Arizona and Mahoning Valley. I don’t believe I saw a hitter barrel up this pitch in all the times I saw Aiken pitch. If he can get his fastball velocity back to the low 90’s and his control back as well, there is a great chance Aiken will be the pitcher that he was drafted twice in the first round to be. His improvements in MV in walk and hit rate show that those things are very likely to happen and soon.
5. Bobby Bradley – 1B – Age: 20
Level: A+ – 2013 Draft, Rnd 3 – 2015 Rank: #4
By Gavin Potter
At just 20 years old, Bradley arguably possesses the most raw power of any Indians minor leaguer. As a prospect, he is exciting because he has demonstrated an ability to access that power through a swing with a natural loft. Through three professional seasons, Bradley is averaging an impressive 34 home runs per 150 games.
Unfortunately, if Bradley succeeds, he will have to do so in a way few before him have. While he regularly walks in more than 10% of the time, he also tends to strike out 30% of the time. His is the definition of a “true three outcome” player, as he homered, walked, or struck out in 48% of his total plate appearances last season. Further, he offers little value on defense or the bases. Fellow lefty first basemen like Jim Thome and Chris Davis have made this profile work as stars, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Ultimately, Bradley’s MLB value is more likely to mirror that of Chris Carter, as a 1-2 WAR player, but the small potential to become a Thome-esque player is why he is #5 in our rankings.
4. Yandy Diaz – 3B – Age: 25
Level: AAA – 2013 International Free Agent – 2015 Rank: #9
By Kevin Gall
Yandy Diaz has made the biggest moves up the organizational prospect rankings since he was signed as an International Free Agent in 2013 out of Cuba. His first season was a relatively quiet one. Diaz’ 2015 performance in AA Akron opened a lot of fans’ eyes to the Cuban, prompting speculation that he could man the hot-corner for the Tribe for the foreseeable future.
This past season Diaz did nothing to quell those cries as he posted .325/.399/.461 slash line in 95 games in Columbus. Diaz possess a solid glove at third base, with the ability to play second and short stop as well as the outfield, which was a frequent position for him in Columbus. He is a patient hitter who does not strikeout often and draws plenty of walks. The one detractor to his bat is that he doesn’t figure to hit for much power. His line drive swing is more conducive to peppering singles to all fields rather than gap shots and home runs. At age 25, he doesn’t figure to add much natural power to his frame at this point either. Given his burgeoning defensive versatility, Diaz has made himself a possible utility man at the next level and should get a chance in the big leagues in 2017.
3. Francisco Mejia – C – Age: 21
Level: A+ – 2012 International Free Agent – 2015 Rank: Unranked
By Justin Lada
You likely know Mejia for two seasons. 1). His 50 game hitting streak, 2). Being the centerpiece of the failed Jonathan Lucroy deal. This is good news if you’re an Indians fan and both those things should excite you. Any long hitting streak takes some luck and Mejia got at least one from an official scorer, but he didn’t keep hitting by accident. He is a switch hitter who has no problem seeing the ball or hitting it from either side of the plate.
He played all of 2016 as a 20 year old and will play all of 2017 at the age of 21, maybe half of it in AA. His 15.1% and 13% K% at High-A and AA respectively are incredible for a player his age and his 5.8% and 7.1% BB% are good as well. He makes a lot of good contact and is just coming into some power. Defensively, Mejia has posted consistent sub-2.0 pop times, has a strong arm and pretty solid receiving skills. Until 2016, it was thought his glove and defense were ahead of the bat, but the bat has caught up and the arm/glove didn’t take a step back either.
Now, he’ll have to keep improving blocking, framing and game calling, which would finish off his development. The only drawback for Mejia were incidents such as team-imposed suspensions for some hustle/attitude issues at times. Once he moved to High-A, it sounds as if most of those issues were behind him. He did just turn 21 and is immensely talented. If those issues are just minor moments of his past, Mejia is a potential All-Star, gold glove catcher. Considering how he handled 2016’s hitting streak attention and subsequent offensive breakout and the failed trade, he should continue to handle his minor league assignments well. He has plenty of time to develop, but if he makes it to AA this year and holds his own, he won’t be too far away. He’s already on the 40 man roster.
2. Bradley Zimmer – CF – Age: 24
Level: AAA – 2014 Draft, Rnd 1 – 2015 Rank: #1
By Kevin Gall
Zimmer remains one of the Indians’, and the league’s, best prospects after the 2016 season. His strong arm and above average range make him capable of playing center and right fields. Over the past two seasons he has stolen 44 and 38 bases respectively, not something you would expect from someone who is 6’5″. He possess average power that figures to improve as his frame fills out. Zimmer’s biggest drawback will be his ability to make consistent contact and hit left-handed pitching. This past season, Zimmer’s strikeout rates increased from all previous seasons. He spent the first 93 games of 2016 in Akron and posted a career-high (at the time) strikeout rate of 28.3%. He was then promoted to AAA Columbus where his strikeout rate took a worrisome uptick to 37.3%, which makes Mike Napoli look like Joe DiMaggio. Additionally, in 84 at-bats against lefties in Akron, Zimmer hit just .179/.349/.274. Those numbers didn’t get any better in 29 at-bats in Columbus, as he slashed .172/.314/.172. Despite these flaws, Zimmer’s versatility and well-rounded skills still make him a valuable commodity. Expect him to make his MLB debut sometime next season
1. Triston McKenzie – RHP – Age: 19
Level: A – 2015 Draft, 1st Rnd – 2015 Rank: 7
By Joseph Coblitz
Last year, the near MLB readiness of Mike Clevinger and the potential of Aiken made McKenzie the Indians third ranked starting pitcher, but after his first full season in the minors, his dominance is unquestionable. Yes, he is only 19 and only in A ball (he was actually about four years younger than the average A ball player), but his pinpoint command, hard slider and great change of pace make him a force to contend with.
In 2016, he allowed more than one run in a season for the first time (1.62 ERA), but he actually improved his K/9 once going to Lake County (now 11.4 in his short MiLB career) and his BB/9 as well (1.6 after promotion). His maturity is far beyond that of an average 19 year old and the only thing anyone has every said bad about him is that he is too skinny.
I’ve written in depth on McKenzie on multiple occasions, so I won’t go any further here except to say that, barring injury, he will be a dominant MLB player some day and I wouldn’t say that with confidence about a single other player on this list.
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