The Columbus Clippers are 2015 International League champions! While team performance is rarely an accurate measure of how well the prospects on the team will perform at the next level, it does prove that the Clippers have some pretty good baseball players on their roster regardless of their major league potential.
The roster that finished the season, like the Lynchburg Hillcats, was radically different than the roster that began the season, this is commonly the case when you begin the season with some of the most talented prospects in the entire organization (Francisco Lindor and Giovanny Urshela) and they are in line for promotions. Regardless of the turnover throughout the year, the Clippers featured a very talented roster, one that has the potential to produce a number of players that can contribute to the major league roster for years to come.
MVP
The selection of an MVP for this team is a difficult endeavor considering the team’s best players only played a short period of time for the team. Since there really was no one clear-cut MVP, the award goes to Jesus Aguilar and Tyler Holt who were the most consistent offensive forces on the team.
Holt is an interesting player to say the least. He may be the worst power hitter in the entire organization while simultaneously being one of the best defenders. This past season Holt spent 101 games in Columbus batting .302/.386/.370 – a slash line that is notable for the fact that his on-base percentage was higher than his slugging percentage – a rare feat. To go along with solid defense at all three outfield spots, Holt stole a team-high 25 bases. Ed. note: In a slightly surprising move, Holt was designated for assignment last night.
Aguilar had a bit of a disappointing season by his usual standards, but still had a very solid year overall. Zeus slashed .267/.332/.439 with 19 home runs this season while playing in nearly all of the Clippers’ games, something he likely had not hoped to do. It’s a true shame Aguilar has not been given a real shot to prove his mettle at the big league level, his career going forward has to be considered up in the air.
Future Stars
Aside from Francisco Lindor and Giovanny Urshela, there a plenty of other talented Clippers who have the potential to be future stars. The most notable of the bunch is Tyler Naquin, the former 2012 first round draft pick. Naquin hit .263/.353/.430 in 50 games with the Clippers this year. Much of his season was hampered with injuries, but when he was healthy, Naquin showed amazing promise. Unfortunately, Naquin has had a hard time staying healthy over the past two seasons now and it’s very possible it has prevented him from moving up through the organization faster.
Though Shawn Armstrong has already seen time with the big league club, he hasn’t played enough to be eliminated from mention in this post. Armstrong is one of the Indians’ best relief prospects and had a very good season with the Clippers. In 46 games this season Armstrong posted a 2.36 ERA, he pitched 49 innings this season, striking out an amazing 80 batters.
Under Appreciated
This is also a tough category to name any players on the Clippers roster to, so I choose to look at it through a major league point of view and the player who most accurately fits that description is Aguilar. He had a breakout season last year in his first stint with the Clippers and should have received steady playing time last September when he was called up. Instead, Tito benched him at times for players like Chris Gimenez in what can only be considered a mind-numbingly stupid move. While I don’t personally believe Aguilar has the talent that can translate into everyday success at the big league level, he deserved to be given the chance to prove that. As a club that relies on internal development of players, you would figure that loyalty to those who have worked their tails off for you would be highly valued and rewarded.
Cause For Concern
Few players in the Indians’ minor league organization had as disappointing a season as James Ramsey. Heading into the year, many (myself included) thought Ramsey had a legitimate shot to spend a decent amount of time with the big league club. Unfortunately, Ramsey had a very tough season and has all but removed himself from the discussion of future Indians outfielder. Ramsey hit .243/.327/.382 with the Clippers this year, he showed good pop with 12 home runs, but also showed an proclivity for strikeouts, whiffing 128 times in 126 games. Ramsey has a number of factors weighing against him going into next season. First, of all the talented Indians outfield prospects, Ramsey is the oldest at 25 (26 in December). Second, his teammate Tyler Naquin, plays the same positions and had a much better season than he did and will likely be considered before him with regard to promotions. Third, Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier aren’t far behind him and have a much higher ceiling.
Erik Gonzalez also created some cause for concern after his down season this year. Gonzalez started the year in Akron and was promoted after Lindor moved up to Cleveland. Gonzalez struggled at the plate all season at both levels, never matching the success he had in 2014. It’s no secret that Gonzalez’ future with the Indians was cloudy to begin with considering Lindor and Jose Ramirez are ahead of him as infield options, and many were hoping he could be used as trade bait but his stock took a major hit after this year.
Best Bat: Jesus Aguilar
Best Glove: Tyler Holt
Worst Glove: James Ramsey (But by default, he played with a number of talented defensive prospects this year).
Best Wheels: Tyler Holt
Best Chance to Be an MLB Pitcher: Shawn Armstrong
Best Chance to Be an MLB Hitter: Tyler Naquin
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