Arizona has already had record temperatures this Summer, surpassing 110 the first week of June, but that won’t keep the Tribe’s youngest prospects from competing in Goodyear during the worst of it. Games for the AZL (or Arizona Rookie League) Indians start up tomorrow, June 20th at home against the Reds and will continue through August against the other teams who make their Spring Training home in the Cactus League.
Last season’s squad was largely a repeat of the year before with some additions from the draft, but the 2016 team is chock full of brand new faces. Those who will be back, however, include Simeon Lucas, Miguel Eladio, Junior Soto, Oscar Gonzalez, Jorma Rodriguez and Jason Rodriguez among others. One of these others, Juan Garcia is only 18 and will be playing in his first full season in the US, so there’s no reason to give up quite yet. Domingo Jimenez will also be returning for his second AZL season and, while his numbers were lackluster in 2015, I saw a definite improvement over Extended Spring Training including his last appearance when he struck out all three batters faced in his only inning pitched. At 22 years old, he’ll have to show success quickly if he wants to advance.
That being said, there is a ton to be excited about with the newcomers. While we’re waiting for the 2016 draftees to sign and report, there are already quite a few players worth salivating over. First, 2015 first round pick Brady Aiken will be making his real game debut the first time he pitches in the AZL this year. The left hander pitched a couple times in extended Spring Training, but is yet to move beyond pitching one inning at a time and this will be his first real test. Considering he was originally a first overall pick by the Astros, there is still a lot to look forward to with Aiken.
If you want to talk about a player with untapped potential, the greatest might be Cristopher Cespedes (AKA: A Cespedes for the rest of us). He batted only .207 with the DSL Indians last year, but hit four home runs, 11 doubles and two triples. In addition, the left fielder is only 18 years old. If he can improve his contact rates, his power should be enough to keep him interesting.
We’ve seen some solid defensive infielders in the past few seasons with Luke Wakamatsu, Alexis Pantoja and Willi Castro all coming through Goodyear and it looks like there could be more on tap for 2016. Both Rodriguez and Eladio are returning and newcomer Elvis Perez looks very interesting. I didn’t see him play much this Spring, but when I did, he looked solid in the field and at the plate. Last year, he batted .305/.394/.390 in the Dominican Summer League and, while those numbers will certainly drop in the much stronger AZL, based on how he played in Extended Spring Training, they shouldn’t drop too far.
While no first or third basemen are listed on the roster below, there are certain to be additions and even if not, there are some players who have shown some versatility already. Catchers Rodriguez and Jose Vicente both played some first base during Extended Spring Training and will likely fill the DH role as well, rotating with Lucas. The Indians also took six catchers in the 2016 June draft including three out of high school. Since no one was picked exclusively as a first baseman this year, expect the whole group to move around a bit.
At third, Erlin Cerda and Grofi Cruz leave a significant hole, particularly with no obvious replacement. Eladio has just one game played at third in his MiLB career and Jorma 20, 14 of which came in the DSL. Both are natural second basemen giving the Indians the opposite problem as last year when they had two short stops. Chances are Perez will play short stop with Rodriguez at third and Eladio at second at least to start. This should be a pretty solid defensive infield although based on his reaction time, I wonder if Eladio might ultimately be a better 3B. Unfortunately, none of their bats have yet to merit a starting spot at the hot corner, so their early play could be important in who gets the majority of the playing time once the draft picks start filing in.
Of those, both Nolan Jones and Ulysses Cantu were taken in the first ten rounds and are listed as third basemen. They both have bats that make them highly considered prospects and could very quickly displace the current light hitting middle infield types once/if they sign. In addition to these draft picks making their expected debuts as well as last year’s number one, Aiken, this year’s first rounder, Will Benson, will mostly likely begin his professional career in Arizona. Benson is expected to play some in center and right field as well as first base and has a greater ceiling than any of the other outfielders listed. Connor Capel (5th round, 2016) is another high school center fielder who could be playing in Arizona if everything works out.
In all, this is an almost completely unknown team filled out with underperformers from 2015 and new faces. There are no obvious superstars like in previous seasons, but undoubtedly, someone will step up and make themselves known at this level like Gabriel Mejia and Triston McKenzie did last year. No matter what, expect to see a few cuts once the draftees begin signing and a few promotions to Mahoning Valley as well.
Expected Roster
SP Brady Aiken
SP Dace Kime
SP Domingo Jimenez
SP Jhonleider Salinas
RP Francisco Perez
RP Dalbert Siri
RP Randy Valladares
RP Gregori Vasquez
RP Casey Weathers
C Simeon Lucas
C Jason Rodriguez
C Jose Vicente
2B/SS Miguel Eladio
SS Elvis Perez
2B/SS Jorma Rodriguez
OF Cristopher Cespedes
OF Juan Garcia
OF Oscar Gonzalez
OF Junior Soto
OF Carlos Ventura
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