The Tribe’s draft picks in rounds 11 – 20 on Wednesday displayed a few common themes. First, nine of the ten picks were college players. Allan Hernandez, drafted out of Miami Christian, was the only high school prep player of the bunch. Second, the Indians were sweet on college pitchers with solid strikeout-to-walk ratios. And third, the Indians drafted players who excelled in the Cape Cod League last summer. With these themes in mind, here are the ten newest Cleveland Indians drafted between picks 340 and 610.
Round 11, Pick 340
Nick Mikolajchak – P – Sam Houston State
6’2″ – 215 lbs – Age – 21
Over three seasons with Sam Houston State, the right-handed Mikolajchak made 77 appearances, going 11-13 with 22 saves and a 3.93 ERA. With the Cape Cod League last summer, Mikolajchak appeared in 10 games, going 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA, two saves, 21 strikeouts and three walks in 15.2 IP. The long-haired pitcher likely projects as a reliever in the Tribe’s system, which is where he logged most of his innings as a Bearkat and in the Cape League.
Round 12, Pick 370
Allan Hernandez – P – Miami Christian School
6’5″ – 230 lbs – Age 18
Hernandez is a big, broad-shouldered prep pitcher whose fastball topped out at 92 mph this past season. He also has a slider and a developing change-up. Hernandez has good arm strength, but like many young pitchers, is still developing his consistency and secondary pitches.
Round 13, Pick 400
Micah Pries – CF – Point Loma Nazarene University
6’4″” – 210 lbs – Age – 20
The 6’4″ Pries is an imposing athlete who has manned centerfield for Point Loma the past three seasons. This past season, Pries hit .318 with 18 HR and 50 RBI. He struck out only 16 times, to go along with 23 walks. Pries was rewarded with NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention honors. Pries also found success last summer in the Cape League, where he hit .364/.462/.364 for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Found 14, Pick 430
Ike Freeman – SS – University of North Carolina
5’10” – 199 lbs – Age – 20
Freeman was known for his glove work at shortstop for the Tar Heels, but over the past two seasons showed he was more than a defensive specialist. In 2018 he hit .305/.383/.377 and this past season he hit .294/.442/.436, while serving as the team’s sparkplug on both offense and defense.
Round 15, Pick 460
Trey Benton – P – East Carolina University
6’4″ – 209 lbs – Age – 20
In 2019 as a junior for the Pirates, Benton went 4-0 with a 4.01 ERA in 13 games (three starts). Over 24.2 IP, Benton had 28 strikeouts to just nine walks. As a sophomore, Benton went 4-5 with a 3.13 ERA in 22 games (9 starts). In 69 IP, Benton had 68 strikeouts to just 13 walks. Another Cape League player, last summer Benton went 0-3 with 2 saves and a 2.01 ERA for the Bourne Braves.
Round 16, Pick 490
Jordan Jones – P – Washington
6’2″ – 195 lbs – Age – 21
Jones finished his junior year ranked sixth all time in strikeouts for the Huskies, with 209. He finished seventh all-time in innings pitched with 268.1, and tied for sixth in starts with 43. This past year, Jones led the team with 87 IP over 15 games – all starts. He went 4-6 with a 4.86 ERA. The Indians undoubtedly hope Jones can be a workhorse in their system.
Round 17, Pick 520
Julian Escobedo – CF – San Diego State University
5’11” – 175 lbs – Age – 20
Escobedo had a nice career for the Aztecs, hitting .316/.419/.429 with 2 HR and 3 stolen bases in 2018. This past year, the junior hit .255/.350/.364 with 5 HR and 7 stolen bases.
Round 18, Pick 550
Matt Waldron – P – Nebraska
6’2″ – 185 lbs – Age – 22
Waldron is a three-year letterman for Nebraska. This past season had the second lowest walk-to-strikeout ratio in the NCAA, behind only first-round draft pick George Kirby. This past season, the senior went 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 100 IP for the Huskers.
Round 19, Pick 580
Kevin Kelly – P – James Madison University
6’2″ – 195 lbs – Age – 21
The Indians selected yet another college pitcher in the 19th round. In three seasons with James Madison University, Kelly went 14-13 with a 3.37 ERA. He racked up 207 strikeouts to only 48 walks over that span. For the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape League last summer, Kelly went 1-1 with a 1.25 ERA and two saves.
Round 20, Pick 610
Nic Enright – P – Virginia Tech Unviersity
6’3″ – 215 lbs – Age – 22
Last season with for Hokies, Enright went 1-3 with a 3.93 ERA, with 63 strikeouts and only 17 walks in 50.1 IP. Enright rounds out this portion of the draft as another college pitcher with great strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
