With the Indians trade of catcher Francisco Mejia, who spent most of the season so far at Triple-A Columbus and small amount of time in Cleveland at the MLB level, there is slightly less depth at catcher in the Indians organization and it may have some of a trickledown effect in the Tribe’s Minor League affiliates.
However, what is in place with all-star Yan Gomes and backup Roberto Perez in Cleveland under team control through 2021, gave the Indians the ability to make a trade from a position of strength at the top of the organization to acquire relief pitching help that was desperately needed.
The trade now makes Eric Haase at Columbus is probably the first to be called up to Cleveland in case of injury to Gomes and Perez and possibly earning a September call up anyway. With Mejia no longer in the system, there is additional opportunity for other young organizational catchers to make a name for themselves or receive more playing time at the lower levels.
Three catchers have made the bulk of the appearances so far this season for the high Class A Lynchburg Hillcats.
Li-Jen Chu, 24, is the only catcher currently listed on the active roster, so a move is likely to be made soon. Chu was a free agent signee from Taiwan in 2012. In 67 games this season, he is slashing .264/.330/.437 in 242 at-bats. He has seven home runs and 35 RBI along with 23 walks and 59 strikeouts. It appears Chu has some power as he hit 17 home runs in 125 games in 2017 with Lake County when he finally got extended playing time as an everyday catcher. He could be a late bloomer, as he didn’t begin his professional career in the United States until 2014.
Angel Lopez Alvarez, 21, signed as a free agent from Puerto Rico in 2017 by the Indians, has played six games for Lynchburg, but none since July 4. He has spent most of time playing for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, where he currently plays. With the Hillcats, Alvarez batted 5-for-18 (.278) with five strikeouts and four walks while hitting a double and home run as part of his hit total. In 12 games with the Scrappers, he’s slashing .225/.354/.400 in 40 at bats.
Logan Ice, 23, has spent most of his third season in professional baseball with Lynchburg, but most recently has been playing with the Akron RubberDucks, where he’s played in eight games. Ice was a 2016 competitive balance selection of the Indians (No. 72 overall) and has appeared in 43 games for Lynchburg. He a switch hitter slashing .194/.289/.264 for the Hillcats, but is slashing .269/.321/.462 for the RubberDucks in 26 ABs. Where he really makes his mark is behind the plate and is a former PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He’s listed as the Indians 20th ranked prospect by MLB.com.
To recap the past week for the Hillcats, Lynchburg continues to be tied for first place in the Carolina Northern League Division.
Lynchburg (16-12) won four of seven games last week and is atop the standings with Wilmington (15-11). Both squads are 0.5 games ahead of Salem (15-12).
Weekly transactions: Lynchburg placed RHP Justin Garza on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to July 12, 2018, and RHP Riley Echols was assigned to Lynchburg from the Lake County Captains on July 14; RHP Matt Esparza was assigned to Lynchburg from the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Echols was then assigned back to Lake County from Lynchburg on July 16; Lynchburg released LHP Billy Strode and placed RHP Matt Esparza on the 7-day disabled list, LHP R.C. Orlan was assigned to Lynchburg from the Akron RubberDucks, and RHP Nick Pasquale was assigned to Lynchburg from Akron on July 18.
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