Last season, the Arizona League Indians were one of the worst teams I’ve ever seen. They won just 15 games all season and were simply atrocious in every facet of the game. Every season in Arizona is a completely new one, however, as many players are brought up from the Dominican Summer League and taken in the amateur draft, leaving just a handful of holdovers.
The new and the old brought a dramatic improvement to the Arizona League Indians who not only were able to field two teams, but have both teams reach the play-offs. This will focus on the team known as Indians 1 or Indians Blue, who were two cancelled games away from being the top team in the league, but lost in the 12th inning in their first play-off game, ending their season all too early.
MVP
There were a lot of stars of the Indians 1 this year, including starting pitcher Yeffersson Yannuzzi, who was promoted mid-season to Mahoning Valley. The one man who stuck out as significantly above the rest, however, was left fielder and first baseman, Miguel Jerez.
Jerez was on the team last year as a catcher, but began transitioning to the outfield in extended spring training this year. The Indians officially didn’t have a first baseman after Michael Cooper was promoted, so Jerez filled in there as well. He didn’t catch a single game this year, but he certainly did hit.
After hitting just two home runs in his first two seasons, Jerez broke the Indians franchise record of 8 home runs in the AZL (held by Henry Pujols, Oscar Gonzalez and Bobby Bradley) by hitting 14. His previous high in slugging percent was .318, but he came out of nowhere to slug .577 in 2018. No hitter made greater strides between 2017 and 2018 as Jerez made a huge leap after turning 20.
While he wasn’t a great catcher defensively and often looked lost in left field, Jerez has quickly become a very reliable first baseman and, if he can keep up this power at the next level, hits well enough to stay at the position. Due to the extreme number of players now in the Indians organization who need promoted, I personally believe that Jerez should spend one more year in extended spring before skipping Mahoning Valley completely and joining the Captains in Lake County. As a 21 year old who just posted the greatest offensive season in AZL Indians history, he should be plenty ready.
Future Stars
As a 19 year old Spanish speaking player, Raymond Burgos fit in perfectly with the 2018 AZL Indians, but he was actually an 18th round pick in the 2016 draft. Finally getting into games after recovering from a long term injury, Burgos was the top pitcher on Indians 1 and the starter for their single play-off game.
Burgos ended up throwing 52.1 innings across 12 games and striking out 58 for a K/9 of 10. In the play-offs, he went another 5.2 innings and struck out 10, allowing just two hits and one run. He has great command of his fastball and a devastating slider when thrown low in the zone that not only has great movement, but provides a strong speed differential compared to his mid-90’s heater.
While the focus of a pitching staff is primarily on the rotation, the Indians 1 had a truly incredible bullpen that has not only proven itself in Arizona, but all the way up to Akron. To start, Adam Scott, Nick Sandlin and Alex Royalty combined for a 0.00 ERA across 18 and all were promoted early. The team also lost Shane McCarthy to Lake County later on in the season, but that didn’t bankrupt this awesome staff.
Left behind for the full season were Eli Lingos (2.61 ERA, 14.8 K/9), Kellen Rholl (1.31 ERA, 10.5 K/9), Aaron Pinto (1.00 ERA, 10.0 K/9), Jake Miednik (1.93 ERA, 12.1 K/9). There’s no question that the Indians know how to draft relievers and all these pitchers could be quick movers up the system, although not as quick as current Rubberduck Sandlin.
Finally, there is another trio of hitters that needs commendation in Marcos Gonzalez, Bryan Lavastida and the newly added Steven Kwan. Kwan was only able to play two weeks with the team after hurting his hamstring during the college season with Oregon State, but showed off all his tools with a .350/.480/.450 line, and a great throwing arm in center. He’s a good base runner and makes solid routes in the outfield.
Neither Lavastida or Gonzalez are as complete of a player yet, but most aren’t in the AZL. Lavastida is a catcher with a good arm and decent blocking skills. He’s a good contact hitter and has a great eye at the plate, but essentially no power. That was the norm in the AZL in previous seasons, but it seemed like everyone was crushing the ball this season, so his .367 SLG sticks out.
Gonzalez is a great glove man, but simply doesn’t have the arm to play short stop. He makes some truly amazing plays, but often can’t get the ball to first, a problem that could be solved by moving him over to second base. He was never considered a power hitter, but did hit for a high average, until the second half of the season. In his first 17 games, he didn’t hit a home run or a double. In his final 19 he hit six doubles and four home runs to bat .297/.381/.568. He has the right set of abilities to be a really dynamic second baseman some day, but his throwing errors will continue to bring him down if he doesn’t improve his arm strength or move off position.
Under Appreciated
You really have to feel for Pedro Alfonseca, who missed all but two games last year and had his hand broken by a pitch this year after about 30. His offensive numbers don’t look good although he is a great base runner. Alfonseca’s real value is in center field where he was one of the team’s top defenders prior to the injury. He’s already 20, so he should be promoted to Mahoning Valley next year, but has yet to get the experience of a full season in the minors.
Hidden in the rotation behind Yannuzzi and Burgos were three solid pitchers who each provided their own unique set of skills. Thomas Ponticelli was drafted in the 12th round earlier this year and has pinpoint command from the right side. He finished the year with a 2.96 ERA, 1.1 BB/9 and a 11.5 K/9. Ignacio Feliz probably had the best stuff of the three and posted a 3.00 ERA across both team 1 and team 2. Matt Turner just finished his second season and is more of the crafty lefty persuasion with a 3.75 ERA. He had similar strike out numbers to 2017, but greatly improved by allowing fewers hits and walks to drop his ERA by 3 runs per nine.
Cause for Concern
I started hearing about the big right handed corner outfielder Cristopher Cespedes back in 2015 when he started out with the Dominican Summer League Indians. He had a bad year there, but played in the US the following season in extended and to start the AZL, but was quickly sent back to the Dominican where he played poorly again. Finally in 2017 he had a solid season according to his power numbers, although it was spent entirely in the DSL.
Now, Cespedes is back in the US, but back to having terrible numbers again. In addition, he’s a clunky outfielder with bad instincts and a poor baserunner, both problems likely stemming from a lack of concentration on the field. More should be expected of a 20 year old who has been a professional player for four years. Unless something significant happens, I’d expect him to be cut by next May.
Most Power: Miguel Jerez
Best Bat: Miguel Jerez
Best Wheels: Pedro Alfonseca
Best Glove: Daniel Schneemann (IF)
Best Arm: Steven Kwan (CF)
Worst Glove: Cristopher Cespedes (LF)
Best Control: Thomas Ponticelli
Best Stuff: Eli Lingos
Most Likely to be an MLB Pitcher: Kellen Rholl
Most Likely to be an MLB Hitter: Steven Kwan
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